


Wonder Woman Begins

by ready3x



Category: Wonder Woman (2017), Wonder Woman (Comics)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Enthusiastic Consent, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Friendship, Inspired by a Movie, Qurac, Zambesi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-12-09 20:33:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 33,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11676576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ready3x/pseuds/ready3x
Summary: All her life, Princess Diana of Themyscira has been trained to protect the Amazons against the return of the war god Ares. One day, ARGUS spy Steve Trevor crashes on Paradise Island, bringing horrible news about a genocidal war in Zambesi, waged by Red Panzer and Dr. Poison. Convinced that Ares is behind the carnage, Diana wins the right to lead Steve home and defend the world of man. Can she defeat her enemies, face terrible truths, and find out if she feels more than friendship for Steve?





	Wonder Woman Begins

**Author's Note:**

> The story is inspired by the live-action Wonder Woman movie (2017), the animated Wonder Woman movie (2009) and the Wonder Woman comics “The Princess and the Power” (1987) and “Year One” (2016/7). Shoutouts to dapperanachronism for betaing, and to Veldeia for moral support! :D

**THE OUTSIDER**

“HARDER! You're stronger than this!”

Diana of Themyscira knelt on the training ground, spitting out blood and reeling from General Antiope's kick, which had left a large footprint in her abdominal area. Resisting the urge to vomit, the young princess adjusted her bracelets and tried to focus on her aunt. In her combat armor, her tiara, her battle sword, and her silver hair tied to severe bun, General Antiope looked more like a force of nature than a woman. Diana tried to pretend that no Amazon was watching, not the foot soldiers, not her honor guard, and especially not her mother, Queen Hippolyta, who was glaring from the back of her giant war horse.

“Auntie, why must we train so hard? No other Amazon gets pushed like this!” Diana muttered as she gripped her sword. Queen Hippolyta bellowed: “You are the princess of Themyscira! If someone fights you, he wants to kill you! You are no mere Amazon, you must be two times stronger!”

With a great battle cry, General Antiope leaped forward and unleashed a flurry of devastating blows. Resisting the urge to flee, Diana stood her ground, parried a strike with her bracelets and moved to counterattack. She struck with power and desperation, but her aunt's defense was too good.

“Five times stronger!” Queen Hippolyta bellowed.

General Antiope buried Diana under a hailstorm of blows. Her sword was a deadly blur which seemingly struck everywhere, and every parry caused sparks to fly off her steel. Suddenly, General Antiope jumped down and flung dirt into Diana's face. While her niece was reeling, Queen Hippolyta screamed, “TEN TIMES STRONGER!!”

Diana desperately crossed her bracelets, and the sword hit her with the force of a sledge hammer. She was blown off her feet, flew backwards like a rag doll and landed in the ditch. The Amazons cringed as their princess staggered out of the mud. Her body was black and blue, but the pain paled against her aunt's scorn and her mother's disappointment.

“This is not fair, auntie! You flung dirt in my eye!” “You think that a fight is fair! A fight is never fair!” General Antiope spat out, and Queen Hippolyta bellowed, “Your aunt is right, and deal with it! We aren't preparing for a dance, but for a war!”

“Mother, why are we training for war? Nobody has attacked Themyscira in centuries!”

Queen Hippolyta straightened up, and the expression on her ageless face made Diana quiver. One look was more powerful than General Antiope's strongest blow.

“Diana, when our father Zeus created mankind, his brother Ares seduced and corrupted them, feasting on the wars man waged. To fight him, our father created us, the Amazons. Ares grew strong enough to destroy Mount Olympus itself, and Zeus sacrificed himself to banish him. Unblemished by the corruption of man, we protect the truth against the lies of Ares and are the last line of defense if he ever rises again! Do you understand?”

“You only told me that every day since I was two”, Diana muttered. When she returned into her stance, General Antiope hissed, “Enough for today, Diana. Take a bath and rest before we continue tomorrow.”

Diana groaned, rubbed her aching muscles and slunk off to the hot springs. The sulphuric water nursed her bruises, and the bubbles massaged the tension out of her body. While she lay there, protected by her mother's honor guard, she was eyed by Mala and Penelope, two of her ladies-in-waiting. Mala gazed at the lovely face with the jet black hair, marveled at her chiseled body with the voluptuous curves and whispered, “Suffering Sappho, Diana is as beautiful as Aphrodite herself. Her mother made her in Galatea's image.”

“Yes,” Penelope nodded dreamily. Everybody knew that Queen Hippolyta had sculpted her from clay, and that Zeus himself had brought her to life. “Is she single?” she asked.

“She is friendly with Kasia, Artemis and Veldeia, but only as in Plato, not as in Eros,” Mala gossiped.

Diana rode into the Amazonian palace, and staggered into the wing of the royal family. She passed the Hall of Wonders, which contained the most powerful artifacts of Themyscira, three weapons circled around a magic harness. In one corner, the Lasso of Truth pulsated, its snare rendering gods unable to lie. Next to it glowed the Sword of Hephaestus, the Godkiller, which Zeus himself used to defeat Ares. Beside it sparkled the giant Shield of Athene, a massive circle covered with ancient runes of protection.

But the most spectacular artifact was the Amazonian combat armor in the middle of the Hall of Wonders, forged by Vulcanus himself. It consisted of a five star tiara and a one piece harness. Its eagle cups were golden as the sun, its torso red as blood, the battle skirt blue as the ocean, and the leg platters bronze as the earth. It seemed to embody the spirit of the Amazons.

All her life, Diana had dreamed of putting on that armor and eradicating evil with lasso, sword and shield. But these were holy artifacts, only to be worn by the champion of Themyscira in the case of Ares's return.

But after hours of hard sparring, Diana wasn't able to beat a mouse, let alone Ares. She staggered into her room, flung herself on the bed and was fast asleep.

Not far away, in the queen's chamber, Queen Hippolyta lauded her younger sister Antiope. “Diana has developed well under your tutelage. We know she can ride and shoot, and her sword is nearly your equal.”

“Diana can fight me toe to toe, Hippolyta, she just doesn't know it yet. Her defense is terrifying, especially her bracelet parry. She is already a fearsome warrior.”

“Diana is so young, and yet so tough. She never complains about pain, hunger or the cold, and is never scared... except if I force her wear her silk dresses.”

General Antiope grinned, sharing her niece's dislike, and replied, “Diana is a warrior born and bred, and she is ready. When will you tell her the truth?”

Suddenly, a shiver ran through Queen Hippolyta's majestic features. Avoiding her sister's eyes, she muttered, “I will tell her, Antiope, but only when the time is right.”

“An Amazon should defend the truth, not hide from it!”

“Yes, but what if the truth is too terrible?”

Both women remained silent.

 

xxx

 

The next morning, Diana mounted her mare Kachi, collected her ladies-in-waiting and headed out for a ride through the forest.

“Run, Kachi, run!” Diana hollered, pacing her mare into a fast gallop. All Amazons were skilled riders, but the princess easily pulled ahead. She effortlessly steered Kachi over winding paths, fallen logs, and treacherous creeks. As usual, Penelope wondered how she could keep up that speed while seemingly not putting any strain on her mare.

Suddenly, Diana stopped Kachi, and stared in confusion at the giant black tree that stood in her way. It was a monstrosity of nature, with a mammoth bark and dark, twisting branches hissing with unholy magic.

“How did I never notice that? I am sure it wasn't here before,” Diana muttered. She dismounted from Kachi and followed an inner urge to touch the venomous bark.

“OWW!!” Diana cried out when a snake shot out a crack and bit her in the wrist. While the serpent slithered away, she collapsed as the venom quickly poisoned her.

“Penelope, come quickly! The princess has fainted!” Mala cried out, jumping from her horse and kneeling next to Diana. She mustered all her strength to point at the black tree and croaked,

“Tree... snake... evil!”

“What tree? There is no tree!” Mala cried, and when all eyes followed the trail of Diana’s index finger, there was only empty space. Diana fainted, and fell into a deep, dreamless coma.

 

xxx

 

In the rugged, scorching hot mountains, a huge flag of the black tree flew over an ancient stone city. Aeons ago, it had been a part of the Minoan empire, the legendary first multiethnic kingdom. But today, it was seat of the tyrant Reich of Aryania, the last apartheid state. Their serfs, brown Quracis and black Zambesians, toiled in the sweltering heat, slaves of a brutal Aryan regime.

With sadistic anticipation, Red Panzer and Dr. Poison stared at the Quraci prisoner in his sealed cell, naked except for a gas mask. He thrashed in horror when yellow gas seeped in, and he squirmed and cried like a fish on dry land. But when he still wailed after a minute, Red Panzer smacked his fist into the wall, so hard that the concrete cracked, and yelled, “By the black tree, Doctor Maru, it's not working! He's still alive!”

Dr. Poison removed her fish eye glasses, revealing her pale face with the cheek prosthesis, and muttered, “Give me more time, General Kaiser, I am so close to a breakthrough!”

General Johann “Red Panzer” Kaiser, Marshal of Aryania and leader of the ARYA secret police, glared at her though his frightful steel helmet. He flexed the massive biceps with the glowing black tree tattoo and struck her so hard that she was flung across the room. The masked guard didn't blink – or maybe, didn't dare to blink – as he towered over her with his seven feet of pure muscle and hissed,

“There is no time, Maru! How can Chancellor Melchior conquer the rest of our Minoan empire if we cannot kill the Quraci and Zambesian rebels who are hiding in their trenches?”

When he threatened to hit her again, Dr. Poison whipped out her notebook and stuttered, “N-no, don't hit me, master! I t-tested a new formula y-yesterday! G-give me one last chance, I am s-sure it will work!”

Red Panzer spat and cracked his knuckles so loudly that Dr. Poison cringed, but finally conceded, “Very well, but if you disappoint me, YOU will be the next test subject!The Aryans need more Lebensraum!”

With trembling hands, she dropped her notebook, produced a capsule with her newest poison and dumped its content into the prison cell. The gas took on a venomous tone, and seconds after, the eye shells of the prisoner's mask broke. The Quraci cramped up in unbelievable agony, spitting black blood until he died.

“It worked! Hail the black tree, it worked!” Dr. Poison cheered, ecstatic about the prisoner's agony. Red Panzer pumped his gigantic fists and bellowed,

“I knew you could do it, Doctor! Now, we can destroy any army, and soon, the world will belong to the Aryans again!”

Dr. Poison pumped the poison gas into a large, crimson red flask. Red Panzer ripped out the heart of the dead prisoner, devoured it and was filled with unimaginable ecstasy while his tattoos were glowing. He made the gesture of the tree and whispered, “Where there is war, the black tree flourishes. Our holy father Ares rejoices as we take Aryania today, Mino tomorrow, and finally the whole world. We will eradicate the vermin that pollutes the earth... and I swear on my name Johann Kaiser, all will hail Ares!”

He took off his mask and revealed an angelic face with high cheeked, alabaster complexion, crowned by a waterfall of golden hair. After the last bite, his eyes flashed in a terrifying crimson, and the corpse hissed with unholy magic and dissolved to dust. Dr. Poison slavered, “Yes, master! I only have to mass produce the formula in my notebook.”

She grasped in its general direction and froze when she grabbed nothing but air. Dr. Poison looked around in panic, and saw the masked guard dart away with her notebook.

“STOP THE TRAITOR! STOP HIM!!” she screamed. The guard turned around, drew a pistol and shot into the big red flask. It exploded with a gigantic bang, and the gas enveloped Red Panzer. A normal human would have instantly died, but even with his superhuman physique, Kaiser retched bloody pus. Dr. Poison dodged the deadly cloud, ran out of the room, tripped the master alarm, pointed at the guard and screamed: “Shoot the traitor! SHOOT THE TRAITOR!!”

 

xxx

 

“Shoot the traitor! SHOOT THE TRAITOR!!”

Steve Trevor, top agent of ARGUS, ignored the high-pitched screams of Dr. Isabel Maru, or ‘Dr. Poison,’ as she dubbed herself. He dodged the bullets of her ARYA henchmen and stormed through the corridors of the black ops site.

“Sorry, Doc, but I'm taking this,” he grinned through his mask, gripping her notebook with her top secret notes. Steve ran around a corner, fired his machine gun at his pursuers, glanced at his trusty army watch and counted: _Only 87 seconds until my detonators go off!_

Steve had spent the last year in deep cover spying on ARYA, the infamous Aryanian strike force. Chancellor Melchior wanted to ‘reform the great Minoan empire’ with the “Anschluss of the breakaway provinces Qurac and Zambesia,’ the last free vestiges of brown and black Minoans. In accordance to their bloodthirsty religion, centered around the black tree of Ares, his Aryan henchmen Red Panzer and Dr. Poison had killed thousands of innocent people, and it seemed that they grew strong on death, pain and agony.

“Take a swig of your own medicine, you Mengele!” Steve yelled as his shot struck a gas canister next to his pursuers. Mustard gas leaked out, making them scream in agony, and he continued his mad dash towards the helicopter hangar. Steve ducked another salvo, counted down 5 ticks on his watch and threw his last flashbang grenade. He used the bedlam to shoot another volley of machine gun rounds before reaching the helicopter hangar. There, he smashed his rifle butt into a guard, emptied his last bullets into the general direction of his pursuers, and hopped into a ARYA helicopter, launching an emergency start and bringing the rotors roaring to life.

“GET MY NOTEBOOK! HE MUSTN'T ESCAPE WITH IT!” Dr. Poison screamed. Even with her diminutive stature, almost totally obscured by the green laboratory garb, her fisheye glasses and her facial prosthesis, Steve was more afraid of her than all her ARYA henchmen together. She fired her grenade launcher, and a gas grenade smashed the cockpit and seeped in. If it had been nerve gas, Steve would have been instantly killed, but it was only tear gas.

_You really want that notebook, don't you? It would be so easy to shoot the jet and kill me, but you don't risk destroying your notebook, Maru!_

Blind, coughing and hardly able to breathe, Steve counted the ticks on his army watch, pulled every lever and pushed every button in just the right sequence, and took off. His helicopter soared away from the secret island somewhere in the Mediterranean. Steve removed mask and contact lenses, stroked the notebook and grinned. “Goodbye, Dr. Poison, Director Waller will be pleased to read this!”

As he flew over the first miles of ocean, he realized that ARYA helicopters were right behind him. Steve only muttered, “Uh, oh.”

 

xxx

 

“M-mother?”

“I am here, Diana.”

Queen Hippolyta had not moved from her side ever since she had been frantically carried back to the royal palace. She whispered, “Lie down, you slept for two days.”

“Two... days...?” Diana croaked in disbelief, and her mother nodded gravely. Her healers had worked magic on her poisoned body, although the were unable to determine the venom. They were as mystified as the ladies-in-waiting, who insisted that the princess had fainted for no reason.

“What happened to you? High priestess Menalippe needed all her skill to save you. We were so worried.”

“Mother, I saw a black tree... with poisonous branches... a snake came out of its bark... and bit me.”

“A black tree... a snake?” Queen Hippolyta muttered. “Is something wrong, mother?”

“No, no. Just get healthy quickly,” Queen Hippolyta lied, and her daughter was too groggy to notice. She kissed Diana, and she burrowed deeper into her blankets and soon fell asleep.

“Look after her, Evanna,” she whispered to the healer, and exited the room and quickly headed to the Hall of Mirrors, the temple of head priestess Menalippe. She was surprised to see that the old crone was awaiting her.

“Hello, Your Majesty. My birds have told me the good news about your daughter Diana,” she smiled, pointing to the holy pigeons in her roost.

“Praise Hera! I really feared to lose her, but thanks to your skill, she will be back on her feet soon. I don't know how to thank you.”

“I should thank you, you created her in the first place,” Menalippe replied knowingly, and then whispered, “Is it true what they say about Diana? That she had a vision shortly before she fainted?”

“Diana saw an unholy black tree, and was bitten by a snake coming out of its bark. She was with her ladies-in-waiting, no one else saw that tree. Mala and Penelope swear to Hera that Diana just fainted.”

“A black tree... invisible to the non initiated... a snake bite…,” Menalippe muttered, and her face became just as pale as that of her queen. Neither dared to break the silence, and finally, Queen Hippolyta muttered, “Maybe this is just a coincidence.”

“You know the holy scriptures. Maybe we saw two of the three signs that Ares is returning.”

“What is the third sign?”

The old crone pointed to the sky and muttered, “The holy scriptures say that an outsider will visit us. I don't know if it is a god, a titan or a mortal, but the outsider will bear the mark of the black tree.”

“So it is our enemy?” Queen Hippolyta hissed.

The old crone whispered: “Maybe, it is the enemy of our enemy.”

Both queen and priestess fearfully gazed at the skies.

 

xxx

 

That evening, Diana, Kasia and Oenone stood at the observatory on the high cliffs in front of the ocean, listening to the astronomy lesson of their teacher Areto. Gazing at the stars with their telescope, Areto told them, “The stars are useful for navigation, especially the Big Dipper. Always know where its seven big stars are-”

“Eight stars,” Kasia interrupted.

“You are wrong, there are only seven,” Areto corrected her, but Kasia insisted,

“No, there are eight!”

“Areto, she is right! There is some falling star!” Diana blurted out, seeing a fiery red light in the Big Dipper that didn't belong there.

“No, that isn't a falling star, it is too near. It may be a meteor, or... _Great Gaea!_ It is a... burning metal structure with wings!” she blurted out when the fire from the skies crashed into the sea in front of them and exploded in an ocean of debris. Suddenly, saw that a person was peeling itself out the wreckage, fighting the big waves and desperately crying, “HELP! HELP!”ds

Without hesitation, Diana fled out of the observatory, jumped from the hundred yard cliff and dived into the ocean. The impact would have broken a lesser warrior into two, but she used the insane velocity to dive deep and shot towards the survivor. The dusk made it hard to see anything, but then, she cried out in horror when the person lost consciousness and sunk down. Diana dove down like an arrow, and while the water pressure nearly crushed her lungs, she snagged the person by its collar and dragged its lifeless form to the beach.

Diana kneed over the survivor, who coughed up sea water, and started breathing normally. She saw broad shoulders, a flat, powerful chest, and a stubble on the chin unknown to all Amazons.

“By Hera, you're a _man_!” Diana cried out.

The man struggled to open his eyes, and his gaze was unsteady, as if he couldn't believe he was alive. When he finally focused on her, he croaked, “I am in heaven... and you must be an angel.”

“Diana,” she smiled, “my name is Diana.”

“S-Steve... my name is Steve... run... ARYA... will kill you...” he croaked, pointing at the strange metal vehicles with giant propellers on top which were rapidly approaching. Diana quickly dragged herself and the male behind some palm trees.

The vehicles landed, and two dozen ARYA henchmen jumped out and drew dark metal weapons which faintly reminded Diana of crossbows. They pointed at Steve and screamed, “ATTACK HIM! FOR THE BLACK TREE OF ARES!”

Suddenly, Diana froze. All the attackers wore the symbol of black tree, the sign that was haunting her nightmares. Two dozen machine guns were aimed at Diana and Steve, but then, a volley of arrows rained on the attackers. With a thunderous gallop, Queen Hippolyta, General Antiope and her honor guard charged on the beach, mounted on their huge war horses and screaming, “FOR THEMYSCIRA!”

Their arrows mowed down the Aryanians, but they jumped behind their propeller vehicles and returned fire. Each shot produced a bone-jarring boom, and a lightning fast projectile shot out of the muzzle and struck down anything it hit. It was the most terrible sound Diana had ever heard. The air was filled with these deadly metal arrows, and left and right, Amazons cried as they were hit.

“Fight someone your own size, coward!” Queen Hippolyta screamed, cutting them down with her sword, while General Antiope shot them, and her officers Artemis and Veldeia speared them. The Amazons rode the terrorists down and forced them to fight in melee battle.

“Here, catch!” General Antiope yelled and threw Diana a sword. After snatching it in mid-air, she stormed forward and attacked the terrorists. Her steel was a deadly blur that cut them down, however, three snipers were shooting at her from behind the propeller vehicles. With all her skill, she deflected their fire with her bracelets, until General Antiope bellowed, “SHIELD!”

Veldeia put her shield on the ground and kneed behind it, and when her commander grabbed her bow and jumped on it in full sprint, she jumped up and launched her high in the air. Soaring over the propeller vehicle, General Antiope fired three arrows at once and impaled all three snipers with the same shot.

“Wow,” Diana whispered, taking full cover as Veldeia decapitated two thugs with a single blow. Suddenly, the officer screamed, “Princess, look out!!”

Diana stared into the barrel of a black tree firearm, and with an evil grin, the attacker pulled the trigger. There was a sickening bang, but instead of blowing her brains out, the thug slumped to the floor. Steve lowered his weapon, a small version of the ARYA firearm, and croaked, “Thank God my gun is waterproof.”

_What is a 'gun'?_ Diana thought, but then, she watched in horror as another ARYA sniper aimed at her General Antiope, and screamed, “NO!”

With a speed she never thought possible, Diana threw herself in front of her aunt and deflected the deadly projectile with her bracelet. Only a few seconds later, the last black tree attacker was slain, and the chaos of the battlefield was replaced by an eerie silence.

“No! She’s dead! ”

Suddenly, Diana heard loud weeping. Kasia threw herself over the slain body of Oenone and cried with long, gut wrenching sobs. Diana was frozen in shock, unable to take in that her dear friend, who had just watched the stars with her, was dead, just like Anaya, Io, Regina, Sofia...

General Antiope stormed to Steve, whose jacket had ridden up. Diana froze in horror when she saw that he also wore the symbol of the black tree, and her aunt grabbed him by the collar.“This is your fault, male! You are a henchman of Ares, and you will pay,” she hissed.

She wanted to strike him down, but Queen Hippolyta held back her sister and and whispered, “Stand back, Antiope, we'll interrogate him. I think he is the outsider.”

 

 

**THE CONTEST**

Steve was bruised and battered, but that didn't hinder the Amazons dragging him into the throne room and forcing him to kneel in front of Queen Hippolyta. “Welcome to Themyscira,” she greeted calmly, “my name is Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons. We live simple lives, and we want to keep it that way. We would like to ask you a few questions.”

Steve spat out blood as he spoke. “Listen, I just got shot down and need medical attention. I will not talk until I have met your king.”

Diana gasped, and the Amazons spat. Her mother whipped out the Lasso of Truth, wrapped it around his torso and snapped, “Identify yourself, male!”

The rope glowed, and Steve blurted out, _“My name is Colonel Steve Trevor of the United States of America.”_

He stared at her in horror, and she hissed, “This lasso was created to bypass the untrustworthy nature of man. What is your mission?”

Steve resisted, but the rope glowed again. He rolled his eyes, and frothing at his mouth, he finally blurted out, _“I am a spy! I am a spy for ARGUS, the secret agency of my country. My mission was to infiltrate ARYA, the strike force of the rogue nation of Aryania, led by the insane Red Panzer and his henchwoman Dr. Poison!”_

“What is this 'Aryania' you are talking about?”

_“It is a Mediterranean nation in North Africa, the successor of the ancient Minoan empire. Once, it welcomed people of all colors and creeds, but now, Aryania follows the black tree of Ares, a brutal, bloodthirsty religion which glorifies war, death and genocide.”_

When he mentioned the Minoans, Queen Hippolyta and all the Amazons froze. Diana remembered; _just as Kronos existed before Jupiter, Mino existed before Greece. It is the cradle of our civilization, and if it is corrupted, we all will be poisoned._

_“Under the brutal Red Panzer, ARYA created a brutal regime in which native people are enslaved, and the tyrants are called a master race. You cannot imagine their cruelty. They have weapons far deadlier than you can imagine. I sneaked into their secret base and stole their battle plans, but they shot me down.”_

“If you are their enemy, why are you wearing their symbol, the black tree? Why did you carry your fight to Themyscira? Sixteen sisters have been slain because of you.”

_“I only wore it to make them believe I was one of them. I had no idea that this island existed! I am truly sorry.”_ Steve cried out.

General Antiope drew her sword and snapped, “The male brought us nothing but death, pain and agony, my queen. Shall I kill him?”

Steve was frozen with fear, but in the end, Queen Hippolyta released him. “Stand down, Antiope, he is a victim, not a murderer. Menalippe, take him to the chambers of healing.”

When the old priestess took him away, the Amazons were still glaring at Steve, but Diana went straight to her mother and exclaimed, “Mother, we must help him. You saw and you heard what terrible things he witnessed. The world of man is ravaged by war, and if Mino itself is attacked, it attacks the very essence of our people. I believe that Ares himself has returned.”

“Diana, the man was hardly coherent. Don't draw such rash conclusions.” Queen Hippolyta snapped, but her daughter retorted.

“Mother, all my life you warned me about the return of Ares. It is obvious that it’s happened. We were visited by the first man in millenia, were attacked by 'ARYA secret police' with 'guns' and 'rifles,' and sixteen of our sisters have been slain. We must avenge their deaths!”

“Diana, you are being a small, petulant child. This is bigger than you, and not your decision to make.”

“Mother, I believe that Red Panzer is Ares.”Everybody froze and stared at Diana, and she hissed, “Ares is a ruthless war lord who seduces and corrupts mankind, feasting on the wars they wage. He creates horrible weapons to make the world of man burn, and wants to recreate it in his own image. Red Panzer is Ares, and he will destroy Mino and Mount Olympus itself if we let him.”

Queen Hippolyta glared at her so coldly that Diana cringed, and she knew that she had crossed a line. General Antiope gently, but firmly pulled her back and whispered, “Leave now, child, it's for your own good.”

Diana reluctantly stayed back and clenched her fists as her mother went into her throne room and collected all members of the Amazon council.

 

xxx

 

Queen Hippolyta stood up and started, “Sisters, let us get straight to the point. The outsider has visited us today, and sixteen warriors have given their lives to protect us from his enemies.” She turned to Menalippe and asked, “How is he doing?”

“My healers are taking good care of the male, Your Majesty. He is in a healing sleep, and I think that he will fully recover.”

“Thank you, Menalippe. I have been very hard to him.”

General Antiope snapped, “My Queen, I distrust the male. He reached our island under mysterious circumstances, and maybe, he only saved Diana to fool us!”

“Even Ares himself cannot lie under the lasso of truth, and I sincerely believe he is genuine. That being said, he brought terrible weaponry to Themyscira.” She nodded to Areto, who held up a Steve's gun and continued, “From what I saw, both the outsider and his attackers were warriors, and all carried lethal weapons capable of doing _this_.”

She aimed at a vase and pulled the trigger. With a loud bang, the bullet shot out of the chamber and smashed it to pieces.

“Suffering Sappho!” Menalippe whispered, her face white to the lips.

With trembling hands, Areto continued, “This so-called 'gun' uses some sort of fire to propel a metal projectile, and the bigger guns, the so-called 'rifles,' surpass our best bows in range and precision. They are the most terrible war machines I have ever seen.”

Nobody at the round table spoke a word. At last, Queen Hippolyta stood up.“The outsider has appeared, and this means that Ares is returning. His followers have conquered Mino, and the world of man is overrun with war. As Amazons, it is our holy duty to defend mankind. We will choose a champion who returns the outsider to his world and defeats Ares once and for all.”

“What a horrible fate, my queen,” Menalippe muttered. “The champion would be a woman in the world of men, a universe that hates and despises us.”,

General Antiope emphatically swore, “I am more than willing”

“So am I!” shouted Artemis and Veldeia, but Queen Hippolyta replied,

“I am honored by your offers, but following our ancient traditions, we will determine the champion by holding the Amazonian Games.”

When she uttered these words, the members jumped up in disbelief, and there was great pandemonium. It was the first contest in centuries, and only held whenever Themyscira was in grave danger. Queen Hippolyta quieted the crowd and uttered, “Antiope, inform the heralds, and we will start tomorrow at dawn.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” her sister replied with a bow. When the monarch dissolved the council, she muttered, “Hera, give us strength, our champion will need it. Antiope, if you win this honor, know that you have my blessing.”

“Thank you, Lyta”, she nodded gravely, crossed her bracelets and whispered, “If the gods decide in my favor, I promise to live and die for the good of mankind.”

“I don't have the slightest doubt,” Queen Hippolyta replied. General Antiope made two steps, but turned back and asked, “Do you think that Red Panzer is Ares?”

The monarch just stared at her, and didn’t respond.

 

xxx

 

“W-Where am I?”

Steve shot straight up in the air when he woke up in a ancient Greek chamber. He stared at the beautiful girl at his side, who whispered soothingly, “You are safe here, Steve Trevor. I am Princess Diana of Themyscira, and I vouch for your safety.”

“You saved my life. How I can I ever thank you?”

“An Amazon always protects the innocent.” she proudly replied, crossing her sparkling bracelets. Steve gazed at her in awe, hypnotized by her exotic accent, her strength and her beauty. Then, she became somber. “You fought well, Steve. Without your help, more of my sisters would have died.”

“I did what I could,” he muttered, hardly daring to look her in the eye. Suddenly, he looked down, jumped up and cried, “W-why am I naked?”

“Your clothing was dirty and bloody, my ladies-in-waiting are washing it. For now, you may wear one of our tunics,” she replied, pointing at the white garb in the opposite corner of the room. When he didn't react, she snapped, “Isn't it fit for you, male?”

“N-no, b-but could you, uh, t-turn around?” Steve muttered. When Diana drew a blank, he cupped his privates, bolted towards the garb and put it on with a very red face.

When he turned around, she curiously asked, “Is the average male built like you, Steve?”

Steve blushed as she checked out his chest, his biceps, his buttocks and the, uh, zone in between them. Turning beet red, he muttered, “N-no, not really. I am, uh, more than average.” Desperate to change the topic, he stuttered, “Y-your m-mother told me that you live in seclusion. H-how do you speak our l-language so well?”

“Our priestesses have magic mirrors that allow them to observe the outside world. On Themyscira, every Amazon has learned at least a dozen languages.”

“Wow,” Steve muttered, uttering a sigh of relief when he saw his trusty army watch ticking on his wrist.

“What is that, Steve?”

“That is my watch. It tells me the time, when to get up, when to eat, when to sleep...”

“That tiny thing tells you what to do?” Diana asked. Steve nodded, but then frowned. “This place is really magical, my GPS is perfectly dead. No signal comes in or out. The good thing is, ARYA still won't know this place either.”

“Themyscira is protected by ancient magic, Steve, and what is Gee-Pee-Ess? Is it an animal you can eat?”

“Never mind,” Steve muttered.

Diana's expression became serious. “Steve, my mother has decided to send you back to your people, and to hold a contest to choose a champion. She will guide you back home, serve as an ambassador of Themyscira, defeat Red Panzer, liberate the Minoan empire from Aryanian tyranny and bring peace to the world of man.”

Steve stared at her, not believing a single woman could bring down ARYA, let alone bring peace. But he only replied, “Thank you, Diana. Will you also participate?”

“Oh, sure I will.” she beamed. “I believe that Red Panzer is nobody else but Ares. Only the war god is cruel enough to build such terrible weapons and commit such horrible atrocities. I will find Red Panzer and kill him.”

Steve was spared having to respond to this outrageous plan. Areto came in, acknowledged him with a short nod and spoke to Diana. “Your Highness, your mother has just decided that you are not fit to participate in the Amazonian Games.”

 

xxx

 

“OF COURSE I AM GOING TO PARTICIPATE!” Diana yelled at her mother.

Queen Hippolyta snapped, “Diana, you are still recovering from your illness. It's unfair to make you compete against my fiercest warriors.”

“A fight is never fair, and since I was born, you have been telling me to grow strong. How can I prove it if you make me step back now?”

“Diana, the Amazonian Games are the ultimate warrior test, a gauntlet of fighting, shooting, running, riding and swimming skills designed to break even the most determined Amazon. You could get hurt or even killed.”

“Mother, you told me to become twice as strong, five times as strong, even ten times as strong than my sisters, and I will prove it to you.”

“Diana, this is not a matter of personal pride. The champion will have to leave Themyscira, go into exile and travel to the world of man. She must dedicate her life and her death to bring peace to the world of man. It is a fate that makes hardened warriors shudder.”

“It's a fate so terrible that I want it more than anything in my life. I was born for this, and you know it.”

“Silence, Diana! You don't know what you are talking about! You will not participate, and this is my final word!” Queen Hippolyta snapped. Her livid daughter stormed out of the throne room, and her mother buried her face in her hands.“Mankind doesn't deserve you, Diana.”

Outside, Diana ran up to her chamber, slammed the door, flung herself onto her bed and pounded the mattress in frustration. This was beyond unfair. Since her birth, her training had been ten times as hard, and when at last she had the chance to prove herself, she was grounded. It felt for all the world like her life was over.

Suddenly, there was a shy knock on the door, and a small, bookish Amazon stepped in and spoke. “Hello, Your Highness, my name is Alexa, and I am a librarian,” she said carefully. “I couldn’t help but notice your distress, and I wanted to make you an offer.”

“What you can you offer me, now that my mother has ruined my life?” Diana snapped.

Alexa produced the white tunic and the golden helmet given to every competitor of the Amazonian Games and stammered, “P-Princess, I do not want to p-participate, y-you can take my place.”

Diana stared at the librarian, squeezed her so tight that she nearly suffocated, and beamed. “Great Gaea, you are a true friend, Alexa. I will make sure that your sacrifice is not in vain.”

“Thank you, Diana.Fulfill your destiny,” she whispered, while her princess quickly got dressed. When she ran to the stadium, Alexa smiled and stroked the amulet of the black tree that was hidden in her hand.

 

xxx

 

“Dear sisters, let the Amazonian Games begin!”

When Queen Hippolyta uttered the ceremonial words from the royal seats of the Themysciran Circus Maximus, there was a loud cheer from the packed crowd. The entire island was gazing at the valiant warriors who were trying to become the champion of Themyscira. Clad in the same virgin white garb, their faces obscured by their golden helmets, Diana and her fellow competitors started with endurance runs with sword and shield, continued with archery and spear throwing, capped off by hoisting heavy atlas stones. Running was okay, but in archery, she struggled with Alexa's helmet, whose eye slits didn't fit her face, and barely escaped elimination. Diana was so angry at herself that she practically threw the rocks onto the concrete barrels. Her muscles were aching, sweat was pouring down her body, and she would have killed for a cold shower, but the contest was just beginning.

“Aren't your warriors getting food or water breaks, Your Majesty?” Steve asked in the royal lounge, but Queen Hippolyta shook her head.

“There is one barrel with water and another with food for _everyone_. No warrior will stoop to such superficial urges, unless it is utterly necessary.”

After eliminating the lower half of the competitors, the remaining Amazons ran to the beach and swam several miles in combat gear. Diana was in the middle of the pack, but was superb in the agility parkour. By this time, every competitor was sucking air, covered with sweat and aching in every part of her body. However, Diana gained her second wind, and easily won in the quarterstaff jousts, the fight between the rotating morning stars, and the two-on-two combats. Only two dozen Amazons remained, received sword, spear and net, and then, a violent every-woman-for-herself brawl begun. Diana was fighting with authority, slicing through the opposition and skillfully parrying incoming blows with her bracelets. She hardly heard the loud gong which signaled that all but three Amazons were eliminated. The defeated competitors took off their helmets, and Diana stared as she recognized hardened warriors like Veldeia, Orana or Nubia. The entire arena applauded the three winners, and Queen Hippolyta bellowed, “After the last trial, only three competitors remain! Congratulations, you will participate in the final test. It will determine the champion of Themyscira, who will wield the artifacts in the Hall of Wonders!”

Queen Hippolyta pointed at the Greek statue behind her, which was equipped with the Lasso of Truth, the Godkiller Sword, the Shield of Athene and, of course, the Armor of Vulcanus. After another round of applause, she continued, “During the contest, every competitor who won a discipline earned a medal. The Amazon with the most medals may start!”

Diana cringed because she had none, while her neighbor showed two medals, and the third competitor, a strong, sinewy warrior, had a whopping seven.

_What happens now?_ Steve thought, and froze when Queen Hippolyta produced his pistol and continued, “This is the the main weapon in the world of man. It shoots a small and very fast arrow. Parry its shot to become our champion.”

The Amazon with the seven medals nodded, adjusted her bracelets and went into her parrying stance. When Queen Hippolyta aimed at her, Steve screamed, “Don't do this, Your Majesty! You are going to kill her!”

The monarch fired the shot, and with a cry of pain, she held her bloodied ribs and slumped to the floor. Diana pressed her hands in front of her mouth, and Steve cried, “No! You killed her!”

Queen Hippolyta calmly replied, “You underestimate the Amazons, male.”

Menalippe and two of her healers quickly took care of the fallen competitor and removed her helmet. The spectators saw severe features crowned by a long braid of silver hair, and Queen Hippolyta and Diana stammered, “Antiope!”

“I have failed! I have failed!” the general muttered, her face white to the lips. A minute later, she walked away on her own power. The spectators cheered, but Diana knew that her aunt would never forgive herself.

“You lost honorably, Antiope. Now it’s your turn, second competitor,” Queen Hippolyta continued, trying to mask her horror. _What terrible weapons have men invented?_

The second Amazon went into her stance, and the monarch fired at her. She deflected the bullet, and for a split second, Steve thought he was traveling home with her. But then, she held her perforated thigh and would have bled out from a ruptured artery, if Menalippe hadn't quickly bandaged her. When they took off her helmet, Diana recognized the ebony features and dreadlocks of Artemis, her aunt's fearsome right hand. Queen Hippolyta watched ashen faced as the healers carted her away, and cried, “Third competitor, on your marks, get ready!”

Diana's hands trembled as she gazed through the visor and saw that her mother was aiming at her. She went into her parrying stance and thought, _What I fail? What if I get hurt? What if I get killed?_

Queen Hippolyta pulled the trigger, and with a thunderclap, the bullet shot out of the chamber. Suddenly, all doubt was erased in Diana's head. She firmly stepped into the shot, deflected in with her bracelet and safely parried it into the ground. The entire arena erupted in applause, and Queen Hippolyta and Steve each let out a huge sigh of relief. With a big smile, the monarch rose up and called out, “Stand up, new champion of Themyscira! Take off your helmet and present yourself to our people!”

Diana unstrapped her helmet, looked her mother straight in the eye, bowed her knee and shouted, “My name is Diana of Themyscira, and I humbly ask for my mother's blessing to take on this enormous responsibility.”

A collective gasp went through the arena. When Queen Hippolyta recognized her daughter, she was chalk white, and Steve was stunned beyond any reaction.

“I f-forbid it”, the monarch stammered, but Menalippe whispered,

“Your Majesty, you cannot. Diana is the rightful champion of Themyscira.”

Queen Hippolyta was shaken to the bone, but with royal grace, she straightened up and replied, “Go in peace, Princess Diana, I give you my blessing. May the gods smile on your mission in the men's world.”

She walked up to her daughter, drew her sword and lightly struck her on the shoulder. When they hugged, the arena applauded, but to Diana Queen Hippolyta snapped, “That was not fair. You cheated to get into the contest.”

“Aunt Antiope told me that a fight is never fair. Just to get into this contest, I had to be ten times stronger than anyone else,” she retorted, and her mother remained silent. The monarch led her up into the royal stands, where the spectators showered Diana with roses and laurels. With trembling hands, Queen Hippolyta took the Lasso of Truth, whirled it around her daughter and spoke the ageless words of coronation. Diana disappeared in a flash of light, and when Steve was able to see again, he stared at her, and his jaw was on the floor.

Diana now wore the tiara with the five pointed star and the combat armor of Vulcanus. The golden cups, the crimson torso and the blue battle skirt sparkled like living things. In her belt shone the Lasso of Truth, in her hilt the mighty Godkiller Sword, and on her back the Shield of Athene. Diana now hummed with power, and she now rightfully embodied the spirit of the Amazons. Steve was unable to avert his gaze, and thought, _Diana, you look like a real angel!_

“People of Themyscira, I present you our champion!” Queen Hippolyta bellowed, and the arena erupted in applause. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, as she realized that she was going to lose her daughter to the outside world – and that Diana was simply destined to fulfill this task.

Standing tall, Diana turned to the arena and replied, “People of Themyscira, I thank you for your confidence and swear that I will defeat our enemies, bring peace to the world of man and be the best ambassador the gods allow me to be!”

While the crowd showered her with admiration, Queen Hippolyta hugged her daughter, looked at Steve and sobbed. “You were once my greatest pride, now you are my greatest sorrow. Mankind doesn't deserve you, Diana.”

“Let me decide, mother,” she replied, unable to hold back her tears, and the monarch whispered,

“Leave now, daughter, you have my blessing. Know one thing: the armor is only as strong as the heart of its wielder. Believe in yourself and fight for the truth, because the truth is the strongest force in the universe.”

“Thank you, mother,” Diana choked.

Menalippe tactfully cleared her throat and whispered, “It is time.”

Without further ado, the old priestess led Queen Hippolyta, Diana and Steve to the Hall of Mirrors, followed by the entire island of Themyscira. Nobody wanted to miss the moment in which the champion left their island to bring peace to the outsider's world. The old crone touched Steve's forehead, and then the largest mirror in the hall. It magically began to sparkle, and his jaw dropped when he saw the familiar sight of his hometown Boston on the other side.

“Your heart tells me that is the destination that you want to reach the most. Is that correct?”

“T-That is c-correct, ma'am. That is my home, and it is not far from ARGUS headquarters”, Steve stammered.

Menalippe nodded, touched the five pointed star in Diana's tiara and whispered, “Diana, there will come a time when you want to reach an impossible place. Harness the power of the star, and if your heart is pure, you will succeed.”

“What? I don't understand-”, she stammered, but the old crone gently pushed them towards the mirror. Diana took Steve's hand, waved to the crowd one last time, and both vanished through the magic portal.

Queen Hippolyta stared at the mirror long after her daughter had left her, until General Antiope limped up to her. Ignoring the throbbing chest wound, she scolded, “You actually let Diana leave without telling her the truth?!”

“I couldn't, Antiope, I was weak. May Diana be stronger than I am,” her sister whispered.

“Not telling the truth is like not healing an illness. It will flare up when you need it the least. Somewhere, Ares is rejoicing.”

Queen Hippolyta remained silent.

 

 

**MINERVA'S HELP**

When they stepped through the magic mirror, Diana and Steve were engulfed in a bright light. When they opened their eyes again, they stood in a downtown Boston, right in the middle of a busy quarter.

“Thank God, that contraption actually worked,” Steve muttered, and Diana gazed wide eyed at the new world around her. She stared at the skyscrapers, the billboards and the roads with the odd two- and four-wheeled vehicles, which roared and smelled like wild animals.

“It is... very busy here,” she whispered, trying to take in all the unfamiliar sights, noises and smells.

“Yeah, that's downtown Boston for you,” Steve grinned.

Diana tugged the hem of her skirt and muttered, “If I had known how skimpy this outfit was, I would have made Menalippe complain to Vulcanus. This is a swimsuit, not an armor,” she muttered, feeling very exposed around the cleavage and crotch areas.

Steve furiously blushed, whipped his jacket around Diana's shoulders and muttered, “Cover yourself up so that we don't get jailed for solicitation.”

“What is wrong with the way I dress?” Diana complained, pointing at a lingerie advertisement, and Steve mumbled,

“Just trust me on this.”

Diana reluctantly put his coat on, then drew sword and shield and snapped, “Steve, we aren't here for fun! Where can I kill Red Panzer? Where are the next ARYA attackers?”

Steve desperately grabbed her wrists and implored her, “Please, Diana, put your weapons down, or the police is going to arrest us.”

“What is the police?”

“You don't want to know that yet,” he muttered, while she reluctantly tucked away her weapons. Steve steered Diana through the shopping street, and passed the Cape s & cowls comic book shop where he had once worked.

Looking around the busy street, Diana saw a mother with her small child and crooned, “Oh, Great Gaea, a baby! I have never seen a baby before!”

“Don't you have children on Themyscira?!”

“No! Isn't she cute?” she cooed.

“Judging from the blue bonnet, it's probably a boy,” Steve muttered.

“Boys! Men! So many males!” she exclaimed, staring in awe at a group of male skateboarders. Then, she pointed at a couple and asked, “Why are they holding hands, Steve?”

“Because they are together,” he replied. Diana eagerly squeezed his hand, but he shook himself free and muttered,

“No, we are not together... at least not like them.” _She has hands like a vise,_ he wheezed inwardly, holding his throbbing fingers, and continued, “Diana, this way. See that big building down the street? That's the headquarters of ARGUS, the Anonymous Ranger Group of the United States, the secret agency I am working for. We will meet my boss, Director Amanda Waller, who knows everything about Red Panzer, ARYA and Aryania.”

When Steve arrived at the massive ARGUS entrance gate, he checked in with ID card, fingerprint and retina scan, but the heavily armed guard warily glared at Diana, who obviously had no clearance. Before Steve could sort out this matter, a rotund, red-haired woman in a colorful office suit ran through the gate, flung her massive arms around Steve and beamed, “Woo, woo! Steve, I am so glad to see you! I thought you were dead!”

“Hello, Ms. Candy! I am also happy to see you,” he wheezed, barely avoiding suffocation. When she finally let go, he added : “Diana, this is Etta Candy. Etta, this is my new friend Diana.”

“Nice to meet you, Diana.” Etta beamed, shaking her hand and instantly taking a liking.

“What do you do, E-tta C-andy?” Diana asked, fumbling with the unfamiliar name.

“I am Steve's secretary.”

“What is a secretary?”

“I do everything for Steve. I go where he tells me to go, and I do what he tells me to do.”

“Where I'm from, that's called slavery,” Diana retorted.

While Steve rolled his eyes, Etta whispered, “Gosh, I like her already.”

Steve changed the topic and asked “Is Director Waller there? It is pretty important.”

“Director Waller is in some very important meeting with that slimy billionaire Bruce Wayne, and his arm candy Kathy Kane. As if these idiots have any idea of fighting crime! Anyway, she will be available at four PM”, Etta replied.

Steve glanced at his army watch. “One hour, 57 minutes and 21 seconds left, to be exact.”

“You really are obsessed with that watch, aren't you?” Diana commented, rolling her eyes, but Steve ignored her and continued.

“Let's use the time to find Diana some new clothes. Dressed like this, Waller will eat her for dinner, and I'll be her dessert.”

“She looks quite odd. Where does she come from?”

“Themyscira,” Diana replied, but when Etta drew a blank, Steve added, “Amazon from rural Greece.”

“Wow, how exciting!” Etta giggled. The three left the gate, took a shortcut through an alley to quickly arrive at the next mall and entered the busy women's clothes section. While Steve waited outside, he let the women wrestle in the dressing room. He heard Etta swoon. “Oh my God, Diana, you look _wonderful_! Six foot three of chiseled muscle, and not an ounce of fat. Are you a professional bodybuilder?”

“Building a body? Pottery? I was built from clay.”

“Oh, I see! You are a model!”

“Model? Pottery requires a model, if you mean that.”

“Girl, if you are half as smart as beautiful, you should win the next couple of Nobel Prizes. Let's find something that suits you.”

When Diana stepped out, she wore a frilled nurse's gown with white skirt and sneakers, looking very confused.

“I used to wear this when I worked in the hospital”, Etta explained, while Steve heroically stifled a laugh.

“How am I going to fight in this?” Diana complained. After nearly tearing her dress trying a high kick, Etta pulled her back into the wardrobe. Minutes later, she wore gray spandex with black boots.

“You're a civilian, not an assassin,” Steve mumbled, and Diana gratefully vanished again. After trying and discarding the white gown, the brown costume and the green mini dress, Steve looked at his watch and hollered, “How long will it take? We'll meet Director Waller soon!”

“Patience, Steve! Diana is only trying on dress number 226!” Etta yelled out of the wardrobe. When Diana finally appeared, she wore a smart office dress consisting of a square shouldered jacket, a white blouse, a knee length skirt and black sandals, completed by a fedora hat and rimmed glasses. He stared at her in awe, while Etta said, “Steve, you got the most beautiful girl in the world, and now she looks like an ugly duckling.”

Steve didn't think that Diana looked ugly at all. When she watched her reflection in the mirror, she nodded grimly, tightly gripped sword and shield. ,“The world of men must be odd, if women wear these impractical gowns,” she remarked.

“Let's say you'll attract the least attention here,” Steve mumbled, paid with his credit card, pointed to a revolving door and said, “This way, Diana. May I take your weapons? They must be heavy.”

“Never. An Amazon will never shed them.” she snapped, before running straight into the revolving door. After bumping her head twice, she stormed through, got smacked from behind and fell flat on her face. While Etta and Steve cringed, she beamed, “Oh, I understand! Your halls are booby trapped, so your warriors stay on their toes!”

“Oh, yes,” Steve lied, “and one way to gain focus is to give Etta your weapons before you stab yourself.”

Diana glared at the secretary, but held out sword and shield. “Protect them with your life, Etta,” she said gravely.

“I promise it, Diana.”

“Repeat it.”

“I promise it again,” Etta retorted, and Diana reluctantly gave her her sword and her shield. Etta wheezed under the weight, but didn't complain as they went back to the alley shortcut.

They passed a street gang that was seemingly minding its business, but suddenly, the eyes of their members sparkled evilly , and the tattoo of the black tree appeared on their foreheads. Quick as a flash, they surrounded Diana, Etta and Steve, drew their guns, and their leader hissed, “You have something that belongs to the black tree, traitor! Give us that notebook, and you will die painlessly.”

“ARYA spies! How did they find us?” Steve yelled, but Diana whispered: “They look... different.”

“Notebook or death,” they snapped.

“Can I sit this out? I am only a lowly secretary,” Etta muttered nervously.

“Okay, okay! I'll give you that notebook!” Steve muttered, reaching into his jacket. But then, he karate kicked the pistol out of the leader's hands, rammed his forehead into his face and flung him into two of his thugs. Their colleagues opened fire, but quick as lightning, Diana jumped in between and deflected the bullets that would have turned him into a sieve. She snatched the shield out of Etta's hands and protected her from a hailstorm of hot lead before going into counter attack. Diana knocked out the next thug with a shield throw to the face, kicked his neighbor into the wall, judo threw the next into a garbage can and stood tall when the leader drew a pistol and fired at her from point blank range. He emptied all six slugs into her, but all he got was the crack of her bracelets.

“What the-” he blurted out, before Steve grinned,

“No notebook for you, bro.”

Steve floored him with a haymaker, but driven by a nameless rage, he jumped right back up. All thugs attacked with their bare hands, but Diana whipped out her lasso. With blinding speed, she snagged their wrists, smashing them into the wall, and tangled their legs, making them smack to the ground. All six thugs were knocked out cold, and suddenly, sirens blared, and a group of policemen stormed into the alley, shouting,“Freeze!”

“Police, thank God! My name is agent Trevor, please arrest these thugs, they tried to rob us!” Steve exclaimed, producing his ARGUS id card. The head officer nodded as he verified his identity, and grinned, “Poor sods, trying to fight an ARGUS agent. You really showed them!”

“I got kind of lucky,” he mumbled, staring at Diana. Suddenly, the thugs blinked, their tattoos disappeared, and their eyes returned to normal. As if awaking from a nightmare, they looked around in panic and muttered.

“W-what happened? W-were just chilling moments ago!”

“Save your idiot stories for your lawyer,” the officer hissed, handcuffed them and led them away.

After Steve had finished testifying, Etta beamed. “Woo, woo! Diana, that was fantastic! You must have some black belts, and Captain America would be proud of that shield throw!”

“Who is Captain America?”

“Me with a worse family name,” Steve grinned, flexing his biceps while Etta rolled her eyes. His expression turned serious and he asked the question weighing on his mind. “How did ARYA find us so fast?”

“Steve, I think this attack was supernatural. Didn't you see their glowing eyes and their black tree tattoos? They appeared suddenly and then vanished.”

“Angel, I was too focused on not getting killed,” Steve huffed, tucking away the notebook. They briskly walked back to ARGUS headquarters, and while Etta and Steve quickly identified themselves, the guard flat out denied Diana.

“Hey, Moulton, she's with me,” Steve complained, but the guard shot back, “You know the rules, Colonel.”

Steve turned to Diana.: “To enter this building, our guard requires your name, your picture, and your fingerprints.”

“Then let's start, Steve,” Diana smiled.

“What's your name, ma'am?” Moulton asked impatiently.

“Hello! My name is Diana, Princess of Themysc--”

“Prince! Diana Prince!” Steve interrupted her.

“Ms. Prince it is,” Moulton repeated monotonously and wrote it down, oblivious of how Diana glared at Steve. He took her picture, stamped her fingerprints and impatiently gestured them through the massive gate. After entering the building, they walked through several winding corridors and finally arrived at the office of Director Amanda Waller. Steve knocked on the massive door.

“Come!” a dark voice bellowed, and after the door swung open, Diana saw a massive ebony woman in a black office suit. In Etta's case, her girth made her look homely, but in Waller's case, it made her very intimidating. In addition, the seat rested on a pedestal, so every visitor had to look up and felt like a small sheep in front of a giant wolf.

“Hello, Colonel Trevor,” she boomed in her deep, frightful voice. At her side were Dr. David Graves, her genial spymaster, her nervous secretary Harleen Kinzel, and Graves's red haired, bespectacled assistant, Dr. Barbara Ann Minerva. “I suspected you were KIA, Colonel Trevor, but you seem more competent than your ragged appearance suggests. Were you successful?”

Diana was taken aback by her coldness, but Steve grinned. “Yes, Director Waller. I bombed those factories and recovered Dr. Maru's precious notebook.”

Director Waller snatched it with her huge bear paws, put it on the projector and switched it on. While it booted, she eyed Diana and demanded, “Who is that, Trevor?”

“Director Waller, that's Diana Prince, my, uh, contact from the last Aryania mission. Consider her my new secretary,” Steve mumbled, suddenly aware how nerdfully attractive Diana looked with horn rimmed glasses, slicked back hair, dark office suit, white blouse and flat sandals.

“She takes work off my hands, my pelvis is killing me,” Etta added, feigning hip pain, and Steve was relieved that Waller and Graves accepted this story.

“Suit yourself, Colonel,” the massive director hissed and pointed on a strategic map of Aryania, and Diana recognized the outline of the old Minoan empire. She continued. “While you were in deep cover, Colonel, Aryania has actually been losing ground in Zambesi. Loyalists under Marshal Weyi have dug in their mountain trenches, but in retaliation, General Kaiser has killed hundreds of civilians with his gas attacks, but every time the U.N. accuses him, Chancellor Melchior dismisses it as fake news. Also, he fights for the recognition of the Ares black tree cult as a world religion, and taunts the 'corrupt liberal politicians' as 'ready to be replaced by the coming Aryan master race.”

“He sounds like that German lunatic who didn't like Jews too much,” Steve muttered, but Dr. Graves retorted,

“'Aryan' is a surprisingly broad term, including Caucasians, Middle Easterners and Indians. 'Aryan' literally means 'noble,' in contrast to 'barbarians,' which means vermin. You would be surprised how many Americans support this.”

His matter-of-fact tone disturbed Diana greatly. She looked at the Aryanian map and saw that it had deeply eaten itself into the old Minoan provinces of Qurac and Zambesi. It was full of clippings of Chancellor Melchior, Dr. Poison and Red Panzer. The usurpator looked fat and unkempt, every bit like the cowardly rat Diana imagined him, and the death doctor was diminutive but deadly, with a cold gaze that made her shudder. But her glare rested on Red Panzer, the massive ARYA leader. Every image of the towering, slavering warlord with his cruel, soulless eyes, his imposing posture and his long list of atrocities sent shivers down her spine. _This is what Ares looks like,_ she thought in horror.

“Ms. Prince, I notice you're staring at our dear friend 'Johann Kaiser,' or whatever Red Panzer's real name is... he also goes by 'Yussef Kayceri,' 'Janko Kralj,' 'Ioannis Kratidis,' or 'Jaafar Karimi.' He made Aryania as feared as the Minoan empire on the peak of its power.”

“His cruelty is an insult to the Minoans. Why don't you just attack Aryania and liberate it from Red Panzer and that tyrant Melchior?” Diana hissed.

“Are you dense, Ms. Prince?” Dr. Graves snapped. “Chancellor Melchior is a cowardly rat, but also the legitimate ruler of his country. The United Nations will kill us if we attack a sovereign nation. In addition, Qurac and Zambesi are technically Aryanian provinces. As long as Chancellor Melchior can claim that his war an 'internal matter,' the only thing we can do is provide humanitarian help. Of course, that's also why Aryania, the kingdom of that cursed black tree, may remain the last apartheid regime in the world. As if they care about our U.N. embargos.”

_Ah, the United Nations... Melanippe told me that it is the valiant, but often brittle attempt to forge a sisterly bond between all countries in the world of man._

“That's why we are forced to look on as Red Panzer's ARYA troops terrorize and ethnically cleanse Aryania, causing a horrible refugee crisis. Also, everybody knows that the main ARYA weapon is gas warfare. It's an atrocity under the U.N. charter, but Dr. Poison has created an insidious poison gas that can kill thousands of people, yet is untraceable after an hour. That's why Chancellor Melchior can snidely dismiss all atrocity rumors as 'fake news, propaganda, and alternative facts.' We cannot even get an unanimous vote of condemnation. Aryania is rich in oil and uranium, and you'd be surprised how many countries sell their soul for 30 pieces of silver.”

“Thank you, Dr. Graves, but that is enough,” Director Waller coolly cut him off.Diana still stared at him, her heart aching from his terrible news.

“If we could only shut down those horrible gas factories,” Steve said. “I bombed that one site, but their main factory is in Harjavti Castle, deep in Aryanian territory. If I could destroy that, ARYA will be castrated, but even Houdini himself couldn't get into that fortress.”

The projector finished booting, and all stared at a sprawling mess of signs and pictographs. After a few moments, Dr. Graves snapped, _“Thanks for nothing, Trevor._ Some symbols seem Sumerian, some seem proto-Greek, but I have no idea what it is supposed to be. Nobody knows more ancient languages than me, and if I cannot decipher this nonsense, nobody will.”

Steve cringed, but then Diana suddenly blurted out, “Dr. Graves, I can read this. It is a mix of Sumerian, Aramaic and a very old Minoan dialects, deliberately obscured to confuse unwelcome readers. The first part of the message seems some kind of chemical formula, and the second part describes a gas attack on the Zambesi province.”

Her eyes grew wide in horror as she continued reading. “Great Gaea, Aryania intends to... _depopulate_ Zambesi, intentionally targeting civilians. It is a vital step to the third and final part, described the destruction of something named 'Blue Leafed Circle,' connected to some sort of... blood ritual... with the black tree of Aryania.”

Dr. Graves just stared at her, first becoming chalk white, then beet red. Barbara gazed in utter disbelief, as if a light bulb had been switched on in her brain. But Dr. Graves hissed, “Ms. Prince, I am the world's most prominent specialist on ancient Mediterranean languages. You are offending me with your ignorant jokes, you lowly secretary.”

“This is no joke, Doctor. The first two lines are in High Sumerian alphabet, until it deviously becomes some proto-Egyptian dialect. After that, it becomes Aramaic, but with mirrored Minoan pictograms, which symbolizes that--”

“Enough!” Dr. Graves yelled, hammering on the table. “I will not tolerate this gibbering nonsense!”

Diana just stared, Barbara wanted to say something, but didn't dare, and Harleen nervously snickered. Finally, Director Waller spoke. “Colonel Trevor, Ms. Prince, thanks for your efforts, but Dr. Graves will continue to analyze that notebook until we find out its real meaning. Now leave. in ten minutes I will brief the U.S. president on the United Nations meeting next week in Cairo.”

“But I already told you what it means! Steve, tell Ms. Waller that people will die in Zambesi!”

With a red face, he muttered, “Diana, please calm down. There is not much we can do.”

But instead of backing down, she stepped up and boomed with the authority of a true monarch. “Director Waller, Aryania already enslaved a kingdom, killed sixteen of my people, and tried to assassinate us. I thought that your country was a land of warriors, is it a land of cowards?”

The glares of Director Waller and Dr. Graves reduced Steve to a puddle of sweat. Finally, in a sweet, dangerous voice, his boss said, “Colonel Trevor, please leave the room with your 'secretaries'. You wasted enough of my time.”

“Director Waller, I implore you! You are making a terrible mistake!” Diana cried out, before Steve reluctantly pulled she Etta out of the room. The last thing they heard was Harleen's high-pitched cackling.

As she stormed into the corridor, the look in Diana's eyes was murderous and Steve pleaded, “Diana, calm down!”

“Calm down? CALM DOWN?! That was the worst farce I have ever seen! I translated that notebook and warned them of the genocide, and they dismissed me like Cassandra herself! You were the worst – instead of defending the truth, you ducked like a spineless coward!”

“Diana, Director Waller is one of the most powerful people of the United States of America! If you want to convince her, you cannot call her names!”

“A coward is a coward, and I refuse to apologize! I am totally convinced that Johann Kaiser, the Red Panzer, is Ares. If you don't help me, I will kill him myself. I may be an outsider, but if she doesn't believe that I tell the truth, she is a spineless idiot!”

“Funny, I remember that your aunt Antiope wanted to kill an outsider like me because she didn't believe that I told the truth!”

Diana and Steve glared at each other, and Etta cringed. But suddenly, a nervous, bespectacled figure tapped her on the shoulder and blurted out, “Dear Ms. Prince, my name is Barbara Ann Minerva, and I just stood next to Dr. Graves. I believe everything you said, and I offer you my help.”

“Dr. Minerva, please mind your own business,”

“Dear Ms. Prince, please listen to me! You claim to be from Aryania, but I recognize your bracelets,” she blurted out, grabbing her wrists, “you are an _Amazon_!”

Diana froze, and Steve angrily snapped back. “You read too many trashy comics, Dr. Minerva.”

“You lie like all males, Colonel Trevor.” she hissed, tossing her long red hair. “I may only be an assistant, but I have two doctoral degrees in ancient languages and could follow Ms. Prince's explanations.”

When Diana glared at her, she blurted out in Themysciran Greek, <Please believe me! I am not a liar!>

Diana's eyes grew wide as she heard her own dialect, and replied astonished. <How do you know my native tongue?!>

<I studied Amazonian culture since I was a little girl. I taught myself your language and learned everything about your queens like the noble Lysippe, the brave Penthesilea, the shrewd Otrere. I wrote my doctoral thesis on the holy 121 deeds of your monarchs.>

Diana's eyes grew wide as she heard these venerated names, and she whispered, <Nobody except a true friend of Themyscira could know of these deeds.>

<During my archeology digs, I found several Minoan artifacts with similar pictograms, and many of them featured the unholy black tree. They suggest that Johann Kaiser, Red Panzer, is not only attacking Zambesi, but also planning something... bigger. We must stop them, and I promise to help you to fight him.>

<I am so glad to hear that, Barbara, and I love your last name!>

“What gibberish are they talking?” Etta muttered. Steve shrugged helplessly, and was shocked when Diana suddenly hugged Barbara like a long lost friend. “It is all right, Steve,” Diana assured him, “Barbara is an expert on Minoan culture, can speak ancient languages like mine and has promised to help our quest against Aryania.”

Etta and Steve stared at each other, then shrugged, happy that her anger had evaporated. Barbara quickly pulled the three of them into a damp cellar which contained the haul of several archeology digs.

“Over the last few years, I unearthed several Minoan tablets in the same confusing languages you deciphered,” she elaborated, carefully blowing the dust of the ancient findings. Diana eagerly looked at them, and with rising excitement, she whispered: “Indeed, it is a deliberately confusing mix of old Sumerian, Aramaic and Minoan dialects. I recognize the ascent and fall of Ares... how he chose the black tree with its venomous branches as his symbol... dividing mankind into nobles and serfs... his war against Zeus and Mount Olympus... and how Ares's followers survived as the 'Aresians,' later shortened to 'Aryans.'”

“Now that's something I can believe,” Steve muttered.

Diana continued. “The writings say that most of Ares's temples were... focal points of dark magic. Most were destroyed, but some survived, especially in Mino.”

“Yes, Mino, the first occidental civilization, is considered the cradle of the Aryans, in the sense of 'Indo-Iranians'... ironically, it was the first multiethnic kingdom. The 'genocidal cultists' part started when Ares corrupted men,” Barbara added quickly, while Diana continued to read.

“There are other large temples... in Aryania, Egypt, Sumeria... _Themyscira?_ That must be wrong.”

“No, you are right, these runes spell 'Themyscira,'” Barbara replied, but Diana glared so coldly that she didn't dare to continue.

Diana concluded, “Most Aryan worship is in Aryania though. If we want to defeat him, we must go there.”

“How do we go there? I'll never get Director Waller to send me there, let alone allow me to pilot an ARGUS jet,” Steve complained, but Barbara replied easily.

“That's no problem! In two days, Dr. Graves sends me to an U.N. archeology dig in the Zambesian village of Zavimbe, only 12 miles away from the Aryanian border. If you don't mind flying economy class, you can just join me.”

Steve looked as if he was having his wisdom teeth pulled, but Diana smiled. “Of course we will join you.”

“Steve, I'll tell Director Waller that we want to take a well earned vacation, and what we do during your holidays is none of her business,” Etta smiled.

“'We,' Etta?”

“Do you think I'll let you go there alone? I am your secretary, and I go wherever you go.”

“Etta, this is too dangerous. Just stay here, knit some socks and be happy that you aren't fighting Red Panzer.”

“Steve, I have busted balls since you were a baby”, Etta snapped, drew her gun and fired at a bodybuilder poster. All six bullets hit his crotch area, and while Barbara giggled, Steve winced in pain.

“Okay, you win,” he muttered, before he pinched his eyes and yawned. “Anyway, it's getting late now, let's grab some sleep and recuperate until we fly to Zambesi.”

 

xxx

 

“Are you sure you want to spend the night at my place? Etta has a nice loft,” Steve muttered, entering his bachelor apartment. Diana shook her head.

“I have sworn to protect the outsider – you – with my life, and I pity the ARYA thugs who try to attack you now.”

She stared wide-eyed as he switched on the lights, fascinated by their ‘canned fire’. Her amazement grew when he showed her the bathroom with the ‘unscrewable waterfalls’ and the porcelain lavatory. In the end, Steve pointed at his bed and told her, “You sleep there, Diana.”

Diana had taken off her secretary outfit and changed back into her red-gold-and-blue Vulcanus armor, minus the metallic red boots. She gratefully flopped on the soft mattress, and when she offered him the place next to her, he shook his head and muttered, “Thank you, but I'll take the couch in the living room.”

Instead of being grateful, Diana eyed him and snapped. “Why are we not sleeping the same bed? Do you think that I am a crook?”

“No, no! But here, unmarried people don't... don't...”

Withering under her glare, he gave up and reluctantly lay down next to her. He felt uncomfortable sleeping in the proximity of such a stunning beauty, whose swimsuit armor left nothing to imagination. Steve desperately tried not to think of her muscular arms, her chiseled body and her long, toned legs.

Suddenly, he bumped his head on something metallic, and blurted out in disbelief, “Wait a second, are you sleeping on your weapons?”

“I am an Amazon, Steve. My shield is my pillow, and my sword is my blanket.”

Steve couldn't imagine the migraine after a night on stainless steel, and but remained silent. To change the subject, he whispered, “You must be very tired, Diana. I am sorry you had to put up with so much crap today. I hope you don't hate my world too much.”

“Oh, don't feel sorry for me, it is my honor to protect you. Your country is big, busy and chaotic, but underneath the hostility, there is so much unexpected goodness. I miss my mother, my aunt, and all of my sisters, but they would give anything to see a baby, a male or even a baby male.”

“Don't you have males on Themyscira, or families?”

“We Amazons don't die of age, so we neither need families nor males. I read all 12 volumes on Cleo's expertises on body and pleasure. It concludes that men are only essential for procreation... but not for pleasure.”

Diana was unaware that Steve's ego deflated like a punctured tire, and she continued. “I don't have a father.”

“Wait, what?”

“My mother Hippolyta sculpted me from clay, and I was brought to life by Zeus himself,” Diana replied. Steve looked at her sideways and scanned for some mental illness, but finally just responded awkwardly, “That's neat.”

They lay side by side in silence, and after a moment Diana whispered, “The ARYA thugs we defeated today bore the mark of Ares, I could feel it. Every day, he grows stronger on hate and violence, and he can mind control people who are already hateful and violent. That's why I think Ares and Red Panzer are the same. What do you think?”

“Is Johann Kaiser a raging psychopath? Yes. Is he a war god? I don't think so... but then, I just crash landed on an island full of immortal female warriors and now lie next to an Amazon princess with a magic lasso.”

Diana grinned, and suddenly, Steve thought, _Gosh, she has the cutest dimples I have ever seen._ But only a second later, she added, “Ares is the god of wars, but we Amazons call him the god of lies. How dare he say that we built a shrine for him in Themyscira. We will never worship the mass murderer who nearly killed mankind.”

“War is hell, Diana... but take it from a cynical spy like me, some people are attracted to hell. There could always be one rotten apple, even on Themyscira.”

“Never!” she hissed, and Steve remained silent. He finally switched off the light and asked, “When do you want to wake up, Diana?”

“In your time, it would be six AM.”

“Perfect, that’s my preferred time, too,” Steve smiled, being used to it since youth. “Enjoy seven hours, 21 minutes and 33 seconds of sleep, angel.”

He cringed at himself and bit his lip, but to his surprise, Diana smiled.

 

 

**NO** **MAN'S LAND**

Two days later, Diana, Etta, Barbara and Steve left their plane and stepped into the scorching heat of M'Changa airport, the capital of Zambesi. While the Americans staggered out like zombies, envying the ebony workers for not getting a sunburn in less than a minute, Diana pulled her trolley with one hand and eagerly licked her ice cream cone in the other, gushing, “This is wonderful! The inventor should be really proud.”

“Yeah, you only told us that two minutes ago,” Steve muttered, wiping sweat off his forehead, while Barbara checked out her arrangements.

“I will take my ARGUS jeep and drive us to the archeology dig in Zavimbe,” she told them.

“Thank you, Dr. Minerva.” Steve smiled, while Etta, Barbara and him put on their ARGUS gear, consisting of helmet, bullet proof vest and pistol – even secretaries and linguists had military experience.

Diana hid sword, shield and lasso under her secretary garb and whispered, “So, where can we kill ARYA thugs?”

Etta wanted to say something, but suddenly, she pointed wordlessly at a group of bandaged people who were listlessly waiting for their flight. Diana froze when she saw that many were burnt, mangled, and even missing limbs. Blue helmeted U.N. soldiers guarded the NGOs, who were trying to care for as many as their limited resources allowed.

“Zambesi soldiers who fought against ARYA. I should be used to it by now, but I will never be,” Steve muttered, pulling a shocked Diana with him. After hopping into Barbara's jeep, they found out that the dirty, pot holed streets were swarming with crying, wounded refugees on the verge of total physical and mental breakdown. Many hadn't eaten or slept in days. The weeping was gut wrenching, but the deathly silence was even worse.

“Victims of ethnic cleansing,” Steve muttered grimly.

“Great Gaea, how can the gods allow this?” Diana whispered in disbelief.

“If people are cruel enough to let it happen,” Steve responded sadly.

“Correction – if _men_ are cruel enough to make it happen,” Barbara snapped and tossed her red hair. Etta rolled her eyes, but remained silent. The jeep rumbled through the wilderness, passing more crying refugees, and suddenly, the air was filled with heavy booms, which made the earth tremble, interspersed with an unnerving rattle.

“What is that sound?” Diana asked sharply. “Mortars and machine guns,” Steve replied.

“Either the mortars are especially loud today, or the battle front has dramatically shifted,” Barbara muttered.

Suddenly, a group of Zambesian soldiers ran up to them. The head officer screamed, “My name is Sergeant Makabe! Don't drive further, you are in great danger!”

“Let us through! We must reach Zavimbe, it's only three miles ahead! The U.N. itself protects this archeology dig!” Barbara yelled, but Sergeant Makabe shouted,

“Impossible! ARYA started a great offensive and drove us back several miles. If we move out of our trenches, we get killed by their poison gas. Zavimbe is now in no man's land.”

Steve bit his lip, then produced his ARGUS id and replied, “My name is ARGUS Colonel Steve Trevor, directly reporting to Director Amanda Waller. As a member of the U.N. observation corps, I request entry to the trench.”

Steve didn't exactly lie, but only active ARGUS agents were part of the U.N. humanitarian missions, not a soldier on vacation like him. But being a spy, Steve was quite good at lying, so Sergeant Makabe grimly complied.

Shielding eyes and ears from the explosions, Diana, Etta, Barbara and Steve staggered to the trench. It was a rusty iron moat with a high palisade, fortified by sand sacks, rocks and barbed wire. Rows of Zambesian soldiers were huddled up behind, dodging incoming fire that was aimed at them from miles away, standing ankle deep in mud and excrement, demoralized by a lack of sleep and food.

“We are in deep shit,” Steve muttered, but suddenly, an old ragged woman threw herself at their feet and cried out in Zambesian: <Please help! Save Zavimbe from slavery!>

“Stay back, crazy old woman,” the officer swore, yanking her back, but Diana knelt at her side and whispered in her language, <What is your name, and what are you saying?>

<My name is Imani. The Aryan devils have conquered Zavimbe, the village I live in. They will kill our men, rape our women and enslave our children!> the old woman wept.

<I will not allow this to happen> Diana replied and turned to Steve. “I can not stand by while innocent lives are lost! The people are suffering!”

“Diana, this is no man's land. Nobody can cross it. The soldiers have been here for eternity and never gained an inch. ARYA is pointing machine guns at every square inch. It's impossible to cross no man's land.”

“So we do nothing?”

“Diana, we are not doing nothing, we just can't save everyone in this war. This is not what we came for.”

“No, but it's what I'm going to do,” Diana whispered, stood up to her full height, crossed her bracelets over her head and prayed. “Hera, give me strength.”

She removed her glasses, ripped off her office suit, put on her tiara and let down her hair. The soldiers just stared as the shy secretary transformed into the most powerful warrior they had ever seen, wearing the red, gold and blue armor of Vulcanus with the metallic boots, the powerful arms protected by sparkling bracelets, the Shield of Athene strapped on her back, wielding the Lasso of Truth in the left and the Godkiller sword in the other hand. With slow, deliberate movements, Diana grabbed the trench ladder, climbed up the moat and set eyes on the most terrible sight ever. She saw nothing but dead, lifeless gray, covered with a scorching haze, in which nothing moved, lived, or existed. It was no man's land.

“DIANA, NO!” Steve screamed, while Etta, Barbara and the entire Zambesian squadron looked on in horror. From miles away, a dozen ARYA snipers opened fire, greeting her with a supersonic hailstorm aimed squarely at her skull.

In an instant, the world seemed to freeze in slow motion. Diana raised her arms and deflected the hot lead with her bracelets. Steve just stared as she shrugged off three dozen shots and ran forward, bellowing, “FOR THEMYSCIRA!!”

She charged at the enemy like a raging bull, dodging and deflecting the bullets like flicking insects off her skin. When a mortar shell flew in her direction, she snagged it in mid-air in her lasso and lobbed it back to the enemy. Gas grenades exploded next to her, but her superhuman physique simply ignored them. When a crossfire of Gatling guns was aimed at her, she raised her shield with her left and cowered behind it. She dug in with all her might, desperately trying not to get blown away by the metal tsunami. Flattened bullets were piling up next to Diana's feet, and Steve suddenly understood. He grabbed the wrist of Sergeant Makabe and yelled, “She's drawing fire! This is the perfect opportunity to attack and liberate Zavimbe!”

The officer snatched his war horn and blew the signal for a full scale attack. With a mighty war cry, his soldiers put on their gas masks, stormed onto no man's land and opened fire. Behind Diana, who drew all attention, they could charge without taking damage and shoot enemy soldiers.

“What are you waiting for? We must help Diana!” Steve screamed, grabbed a machine gun, equipped everyone with gas masks and ran with Etta and Barbara into no man's land. Diana's armor was like a beacon in a nameless void, and he suddenly understood why her armor was blood red.

With a mighty war cry, she stormed forward, deflecting bullets left and right until enemy soldiers appeared in the distance. They emptied all their shells into her, but it was useless. Diana jumped into their trench, drew the Godkiller sword and began to strike down the ARYA soldiers, crying, “This is for my sisters, you warmongering scum!”

Even from point blank range, she deflected every bullet they fired at her. Those who ducked the sword were snared by her lasso, and with superhuman strength, she lifted a mortar in the air, smashed it into a landship and threw a dozen poison gas tanks half a mile into the sand dunes.

Only a few moments later, the Etta, Barbara, Steve and the Zambesi army arrived. After a few bursts of their machine gun fire, the surviving ARYA soldiers threw away their weapons and gave up. While Sergeant Makabe and his Zambesi soldiers rounded them up, she pointed at the village in the distance yelled, “Move on! We must liberate Zavimbe!”

“We are right behind you, Diana!” Steve shouted, and while Barbara looked a little pale, Etta grinned.

“Woo, woo! This is so exciting!”

“Dr. Minerva, is there anything we need to know about Zavimbe? You know the village better than anyone of us.” Steve yelled.,

“The village consists of small cottages, but there are two high structures, the clock tower and the church.”

“Watch out for snipers, and for gas attacks,” Steve warned, making sure that Etta, Barbara and him put on their gas masks. Led by Diana, the four pushed on. A divine gleam sparkled in her eyes that encouraged her allies and terrified her enemies. Bolting from one cover to the next, they arrived at the village and hid behind a collapsed wall. Suddenly, they were hit by enemy machine guns. Diana deflected the brunt with her bracelets and huddled up behind her shield, and a second later, a gas grenade exploded next to them. For a second, Steve feared that it might be Dr. Poison's new mixture, but nothing got through his gas mask.

“I'll charge forward and draw their fire!” Diana shouted, and after Steve nodded, she stormed into the open and deflected incoming machine gun bullets. Their fire gave away their locations, so he lobbed a concussion grenade into a cottage which knocked two of them out. Etta sniped off a third, and they ran behind Diana, taking cover behind a destroyed car. Suddenly, they were stopped by sniper fire. High-powered slugs whizzed past them, nearly knocking Diana off her feet when she deflected them.

“It comes from the clock tower!” Barbara shouted.

Steve saw a car door lying on the ground and suddenly had an idea. Sneaking behind Diana, who drew all the fire, he picked it up, knelt behind it and yelled, “Diana, SHIELD!”

She stared at him, then understood. After two steps, Diana was at full speed, and when she stepped on the makeshift shield, he launched her high in the air. Diana jumped up to the ARYA snipers, who were perched on the top floor, ripped the tiara from her forehead and hurled it with all her strength. The razor sharp crown sliced off the muzzles of their scope rifles, and the snipers stared at her in horror. She kicked the first one through the door, threw the next one down the stairs and punched the last one through the wall. Diana waved at her three friends below, but suddenly, a group of terrified people was driven out of the nearby church.

“Drop your weapons, or they will die!!” a harsh voice bellowed, and an ARYA officer threateningly held up a wired trigger. Steve recoiled in horror when he saw the people had been forced to wear suicide bomber vests, and the detonator evilly sparkled in his hands.

“Get down here, whore, and lay down your arms!” he bellowed at Diana.

When he threatened to press the trigger, she jumped down four stories as if it were nothing, laid down sword, lasso and shield and spat out, “You are truly a creature of Ares, threatening innocent people for your lies!”

“There is only the black tree of the Ares, our true master. Its roots are grounded in truth itself, that the strong have ruled the weak, the Aryans have ruled the kaffirs, and men have ruled over women. We will bring back the natural balance,” he slavered.

“That guy has hostages, and he wants to blow them up. what are we going to do?” Etta muttered. Suddenly, Barbara drew her gun and fired at Diana. She deflected the bullet, and without a change in facial expression, the ARYA bomber slumped to the floor. Blood trickled out of his forehead.

“I will not let a _man_ harm the innocent,” Barbara hissed, still holding her smoking gun. Diana, Etta and Steve froze, but the hostages cheered, throwing off their bomb belts, and burying their saviors under a sea of hugs.

“If I had known that I would be crushed to death, I would have stayed in Boston,” Steve muttered, and finally, Sergeant Makabe and his men appeared and freed them from their adoring new fans.

The officer bowed deeply in front of Diana and whispered, “The ARYA soldiers have been rounded up, and we will be forever in your debt, liberator of Zavimbe. What is your name, great superhero?”

Diana drew a blank, and Etta whispered, “You need a superhero name, a handle that protects your civil identity. How about Power Princess, Lasso Lady or Sword Suprema?”

“That is an insult to my weapons, which come from the Hall of Wonders. No woman would name herself like that.”

“Woman of Wonder... Wonderful Woman... Wonder Woman!” Etta beamed and exclaimed, “Call her Wonder Woman!”

“Wonder Woman,” he repeated, then kissed her hand in awe, “I am so honored to meet you.”

Diana felt quite blindsided, and sincerely hoped that this silly name wouldn't stick.

 

xxx

 

With a huge smile, Etta extended her mobile phone with her selfie stick and quickly took two dozen photographs. While Barbara and Steve calmly let it happen, Diana looked bewildered and muttered, “What is a 'selfie?'”

“The greatest thing since the invention of ice cream,” Etta grinned. “In my mind, we just wrote the headline of the century: 'Wonder Woman and ARGUS save Zambesian village!' I should sell this pic for a billion dollars.”

“Etta, don't even think of that. We are technically on vacation, and Waller would kill us,” Steve muttered.

By now, it was already evening. The people of Zavimbe gratefully returned to their cottages, and were preparing a feast in their honor. When Diana suggested that it wasn't necessary, old Imani smiled. <In our captivity, we prayed for rescue and swore we would shower our saviors with our gratitude. We cannot offer very much, Wonder Woman, but it comes from the heart.>

By now, Steve understood that turning it down would not only mean a huge insult, but also passing up a comfortable cottage and delicious food. The Zavimbe village eagerly prepared a banquet of maize porridge, chili plantains and peanut chicken, washed down with millet beer, and the soldiers gratefully offered chocolate, spirits and a conundrum of canned goodies. After a speech by Sergeant Makabe, which ended in an ovation for 'Wonder Woman,' the banquet began, accompanied by Zambesi guitar music.

“Tomorrow, I can show you the Zavimbe archeology dig. It contains the remains of an ancient Urzkartaga temple,” Barbara promised.

“Urs... what?” Steve asked, and she repeated,

“ _Urzkartaga, an ancient cheetah goddess worshiped here. According to legend, she was the only deity fierce enough to stand up against Ares, and granted women superhuman powers.” Then, she_ stared at Diana's lasso and added, “Is that the legendary Lasso of Truth, made from the Girdle of Gaea?”

When she nodded, Barbara bit her lip and said, “I think I owe you an explanation for my... behavior around men. My relationship with them is... tenuous.”

She wrapped the lasso around her hand, and suddenly, Diana realized that she was baring her soul for her. She saw a motherless child, rebuffed by an unloving father... an awkward teenager, laughed at by boys, finding solace in tales of strong Amazons... and finally, the tortured prodigy who found the tomb of the legendary Amazon queen Lysippe at age 26, but was betrayed by her professor, who claimed her results for himself and called her a thief and a charlatan.

“Great Gaea... you suffered great pain at the hands of man, and you don't have to be ashamed of your anger,” Diana whispered.

“I hate them. The world would be much better without Ares and his minions.” Barbara blurted out, before she snapped out of it, stared at Steve and muttered, “Sorry.”

“Steve isn't perfect, but I won’t trade him,” Etta snapped, glaring at her before eagerly stuffing herself with peanut chicken.

After finishing their dinner, Diana and Steve walked over to Sergeant Makabe and greeted him with a smile. “Thank you for your speech, officer, we are very grateful.”

“You're welcome! Without you, Zavimbe would be still enslaved,” he beamed. Suddenly, they noticed he was gazing at some Polaroid pictures, and he whispered, “I miss my family. Their pictures are my most treasured possessions.”

“I can believe that. May I see them?” Diana asked, and he grinned. “Certainly.”

The pictures showed Sergeant Makabe in front of a traditional Zambesi villa, with a pretty wife and a stunning daughter. Diana had never seen such a beautiful girl before. “These are my wife Jeanne and my daughter Mari, my two most precious gifts.” Sergeant Makabe nodded, before he added : “They are in M'Changa. I miss them.”

“We'll do anything to end this war and reunite you with your family,” Diana swore.

The officer beamed. “God bless you, Wonder Woman. As long as I live, your sword will strengthen my faith in mankind.”

Diana smiled in sincere appreciation. Steve took a swig of millet beer and saw that many couples were dancing to the lovely Zambesi music. He smiled at Diana. “Want to dance?”

“Steve, I beg your pardon?”

“Do you want to dance? In my country, the men ask the women if they want to.”

Diana stared at him, then beamed. “I would love to.”

Etta smiled as Steve led the most beautiful woman in the world onto the improvised dancefloor. After a gallant bow, he slung his arm around her waist and started to waltz with her under the warm, starry night. Nobody seemed to mind that Diana was three inches taller than him, was wearing nothing but her skimpy combat armor, and was strutting with the elegance of a sweaty mammoth.

“Is this dancing?” she muttered.

Steve ignored how frequently she trampled on his toes and grinned. “Yes.”

“We're not dancing, but swaying,” Diana mumbled, as she took in his cologne and noticed his brilliant green eyes. Suddenly, she was surrounded by sparkling lights, and she asked, “W-What is that?”

Steve smiled: “These are fireflies.”

“It's... magical”, she whispered, staring at them in awe and feeling herself relax against his body. She gazed at him and continued, “Everything is magical, Steve... ever since I saved you from drowning, my entire life has been magical. Suddenly, my heritage, my upbringing, my mission... everything makes sense.”

“You're welcome, Diana,” he smiled, losing himselfin her lovely blue eyes. He had seen her crush mortars with her bare hands, deflect machine gun fire, and carve up thugs with a single strike, but suddenly, he only saw her angelic face with the jet black hair and the deep crimson lips, and noticed how sweet her perfume ) smelled.

“Steve, why are you looking at me like that?” Diana suddenly whispered, and Steve realized in horror that he was drooling. He quickly wiped his chin and stammered, “S-sorry, a-angel, I was just, uh, d-distracted.”

As a spy, he knew that that was the worst lie ever, but instead of ripping off his head with bare hands, she merely smiled. “Steve, what is an 'angel?'”

“W-What?”

“Since I saved you from drowning, you always called me an angel. What is an 'angel?'”

Steve blushed and murmured, “An angel is a divine being with wings who fights for the forces of good. It is also used if... a man wants to compliment a woman.”

“Really? Menalippe told me that there are three billion women in your world, I am sure that you have no shortage of attractive females,” Diana curiously quipped. .

“Yes, but none of them are like you,”Steve blurted out.

“Why?”

Steve blushed so hard that he nearly got a nosebleed, and confessed, “Diana, you're strong, smart and beautiful... and yet, you are friendly, humble, and curious. I travel the world, court danger at every corner and risk life and limb... but if I can be at your side, it is worth it.”

Diana seemed to look right into his soul. Steve feared to be struck down by a bolt of lightning, but instead, she whispered, “So many things had to happen for us to be here together. You could have drowned, I could have not entered the contest, we could have get killed by ARYA soldiers... I think it is means something.”

Suddenly, Diana wrapped her powerful arms around his neck, hypnotized him with her gaze and eagerly pressed her lips on his mouth. She tasted like pure ambrosia, and when Steve reluctantly broke the kiss, he stammered, “Angel, y-you taste like a goddess.”

Steve froze in shock when she rubbed her powerful body against him. Desperately ignore his raging erection, he awkwardly danced with her, until she purred in the most erotic tone known to man, “Steve, I want to experience the 12 books of Cleo with you.”

 

Diana pulled Steve inside her cottage, greedily French kissed him and slammed the door shut.

“Mmm!” she made as she eagerly pinned him against the wall. Her grip nearly crushed his wrists, and while he winced in pain and pleasure, Diana tore off his shirt, stroked his broad shoulders, his powerful biceps and his chiseled chest. “Great Gaea, you are much less puny than Artemis told me.”

“I hope that's a compliment,” Steve croaked, nearly passing out under Diana's super strength. She eagerly ripped off his pants and gazed in awe at the throbbing thing between his legs.

“Hera, the manhood of a male. I only thought it was a legend.” she exclaimed. Steve prayed it wouldn't wither under her x-ray stare, and she curiously asked, “Do you have average size for a male?”

“I, uh, think that it is above average.”

“It is so smooth.”

“Yours would also be smooth if you were a man,” Steve stammered like an idiot. He searched his pocket for a condom, but she stopped him. : “Don't worry, my bracelets are contraception enough.”

Steve didn't want to know how it provided protection. With a huge grin, she grabbed his wrists and threw him on the bed, almost bouncing him to the ceiling. Feeling like a sheep cornered by a wolf, Steve backed up, and froze when she gazed at him in heavy anticipation. Her eyes sparkled like halos, as if she was initiating a divine ritual.

Steve noticed that Diana was still fully clothed, complete with tiara, armor, skirt and boots. With slow, deliberate movements, she took off her leather panties , spread her thunder thighs and willingly impaled herself on his throbbing manhood.

Both moaned together, their mutual longing quenched in one single thrust. Steve's shaft was surrounded and clutched by the tightest and hottest walls he had ever experienced. She arched her back as he penetrated her, pushed through it with clenched teeth and didn't stop until he completely filled her out. Suddenly, he felt something had torn inside of her, and the truth hit him like ton of bricks.

_She just gave me her virginity._

“Suffering... Sappho...” Diana gasped, her beautiful features twisted in the brunt of this new sensation. After regaining her breath, Diana licked her lips and began to draw circles and eights with her pelvis. She was still wearing her costume, and for some reason, it hugely turned him on.

“Does that feel good?” Diana giggled, eagerly going up and down on him.

“Yes, YES!” Steve cried out.

Diana flung her armor into the corner. The sight of her breasts supercharged his lust. They were big, perfectly shaped with bright pink nipples, and stood up in absurd defiance of gravity. He eagerly buried his face between them, but then, she hammered him so hard that he nearly broke into two. With every thrust, she flexed her vaginal muscles with such force that Steve thought he was going to be castrated. Diana accidentally smacked his head so hard against the wall that he nearly got a concussion. Steve reeled, oafishly drooled onto her chest, and nearly suffocated in her mighty bosom. In horror, he realized that he would come in a few strokes. He desperately tried to delay himself, thinking of fantasy football, tax returns and lawn mowing, but after a final thrust, he unloaded himself into her. His shaft sputtered and quivered, but after one last stirring, it became flaccid and empty.

“That's... all?” Diana finally mumbled. While she dismounted, Steve barely dared to look her in the eye. He looked at his watch and cringed. _I only lasted 93 seconds?!_

With the majesty of a true princess, Diana produced a wet cloth, nursed her bleeding womanhood and whispered, “Don't feel bad, Steve. Cleo said that men are quickly excited, and quickly depleted. You did your best.”

Her sympathy crushed his ego more than any insult, but then, she kissed him on the forehead and disappeared in the night. Steve's skin burnt where her lips had touched him, and he just stared and muttered, “Wow.”

 

xxx

 

“Unacceptable! UNACCEPTABLE!”

Red Panzer's bellow shook the ARYA officers to the bone. The glare of his red eyes would have vaporized steel, and when he smashed his fist on the table, the earth of the top secret bunker quaked. “HOW DARE YOU BETRAY THE BLACK TREE AT THE BRINK OF VICTORY!”

“We are not betraying Aryania, General Kaiser, we are being realistic. Chancellor Melchior wants us to discuss if further warfare is viable, and we are not convinced anymore. The entire world despises us, and backed by covert Arabian-African weapons deliveries, Zambesi and Qurac have stacked their trenches and make us lose ground. We should harvest our rewards, peace out with the U.N. and regroup until we strike again.” Major Marlo argued, and many officers agreed.

“ARYANIA WILL CONTINUE ITS WAR, YOU COWARDS! THE U.N. IS WEAK, EVEN WEAKER THAN YOU ARE. I HAVE A WEAPON THAT WILL WIN THIS WAR ONCE AND FOR ALL!!”

Red Panzer gestured to the door, and Dr. Poison rolled in an chemist's laboratory table. The officers tried to ignore the gruesome facial prosthesis of his diminutive right hand, and focused on the big flask of evilly bubbling liquid that simmered on the table.

“What is that?” Major Marlo asked.

“It is a new compound of my poison gas. It eats through every gas mask known to man, and will make short work of any army hiding in their trenches. I would have created it earlier, but there was a... mishap,” Dr. Poison hissed.

“Even without my reservations to your gas warfare, we believe that continuing the war is senseless. Aryania has become an established country with its own economy, religion and identity. In the upcoming U.N. meeting in Cairo, Chancellor Melchior will speak as a respected state leader!We should peace out and grow until we strike again.”

The ARYA officers nodded at General Marlo's words. They had fought for Aryania for almost two years, and even these hardened soldiers had wives and children they longed after.

“IDIOTS!” Red Panzer bellowed, glaring at them though his metal helmet, but he read the body language of his officers and knew they had already decided. Finally, he twisted his face into a fake, cruel smile and whispered, “Very well, I will honor your decision.”

Just as Major Marlo wanted to let out a sigh of relief, Red Panzer drew his pistol and shot the big flask into smithereens. While deadly nerve gas flooded the bunker, Dr. Poison and him stormed out of the room, ignoring the deadly retching of their colleagues. Before Red Panzer slammed the massive steel door shut, he threw a gas mask inside the bunker. He saw that Major Marlo lunged at it, fighting off desperate attempts of his fellow officers, and seemingly breathed easy after putting it on.

“The mask won't help them, master!” Dr. Poison exclaimed, but Red Panzer grinned.

“They don't know that.”

With a loud bang, the eye pieces of Major Marlo's gas mask exploded. Black blood trickled out of the nozzles, and after cramping up in unimaginable agony, he grew limp and died. Both Red Panzer and Dr. Poison laughed when their former comrades died like flies.

“Gassing people is so exhilarating. I wonder if my noble colleague Dr. Mengele felt the same?”

“The Nazis were bloody amateurs. I'll tell Chancellor Melchior that they handed all power to me. The black tree will wage the war which ends all wars,” Red Panzer hissed. He snapped his fingers, and his eyes burnt in red fire as he magically drained the life force out of the twitching bodies, and they became dust.

 

 

**BLACK DEATH**

The next morning, Diana smiled at Steve and kissed him on the cheek, while Steve had a throbbing headache, barely could walk straight and avoided her gaze. While Barbara seemed unaware, Etta looked at him suspiciously.

Steve was happy when Barbara drove the three of them to the Urzkartaga dig about a mile away from Zavimbe. There was little more left but the fundamentals, but was scattered with ancient stone shards that Barbara had painstakingly pieced together in previous expeditions.

“My knowledge of African pictographs is limited, but I am pretty sure that my scrawlings are half religious, depicting the cheetah cult itself, and half historical, chronicling the life of its followers,” Barbara explained, showing them her pictographs.

“I'm not an expert either, I wish Melanippe was here. But I think it depicts that Urzkartaga was a war goddess like Ares, albeit with some odd plant based blood rituals. There seemed to be a truce between their followers, but they split up once he made it clear that he regarded men superior to women, and vice versa.”

Barbara's eye twitched, and Etta muttered, “So, Urz-something is the proto man-hating feminist?”

“They fought, and Ares's disciples won and destroyed the cult”, Diana concluded, and Steve muttered: “So, is that cult dead? I'm just making sure.”

“From what I learned from Menalippe, cults don't die easily. Urzkartaga's followers died as martyrs, and their sacrifice lives on... somehow.”

“So I consider this place haunted,” Etta smirked, and while Barbara glared at her, Steve pointed at a monolith in the middle of the dig.

“What is that?” he asked. “Some kind of sacrificial altar?”

“It seems so, Colonel Trevor. It is not known how it worked, and if enemies or even followers were sacrificed,” Barbara replied, and he shuddered.

Suddenly, a Zambesian military jeep arrived. Sergeant Makabe hopped out, went straight to Steve.

“Good morning, Colonel Trevor,” he greeted. “I was looking for you. I just got some secret information I want to share with you. My intel indicates that Chancellor Melchior is holding a big banquet tomorrow in the superfortress of Harjavti, 50 miles away from here. Red Panzer and Dr. Poison will also participate.”

“A banquet in Harjavti?!” Steve exclaimed, jumping up in excitement when he heard that name. “This is the unique chance to sneak in, blow up her biggest gas factory and cripple ARYA once and for all. I have raided her factories before, I can do it once more.”

“This would be the unique chance to meet Red Panzer face to face and kill him,” Diana added coolly.

“Diana, what happens if you kill Red Panzer? He is the Marshal of Aryania, a sovereign nation. Murder him, and Chancellor Melchior will never make peace with the U.N.”

“Why are you still talking about 'Red Panzer'? Isn't it obvious that he is Ares?”

“I'll believe it when I see it, Diana. War god or not, he is not our goal. We have to destroy that gas! Destroy the gas, and we destroy ARYA.”

Diana remained silent, but Sergeant Makabe cleared his throat.“Dear Wonder Woman, dear Colonel, do you know how much Aryanian military is stationed there? Also, how will you actually enter that banquet?”

Steve went to the ARGUS jeep, grabbed his suitcase and muttered, “Entering that banquet isn't a problem, Sergeant. I just need a ride to Harjavti.”

The officer looked glumly, but suddenly, Diana whispered, “Maybe, I can help.”She pulled off her golden tiara, and stroked its five pointed star.”When Melanippe sent me into the world of men, she told me to summon my star if I wanted to reach an impossible place.”

Diana focused on the star and felt quite silly, but then, the unbelievable happened. It began to burn like Vulcanus's fire, and after a flash of light, a giant crystal structure grew out of nowhere, sprouting wings like a bird. It looked like a giant eagle, big enough to hold three people, and hovered in mid air. All just stared.

“What the heck?” Steve blurted out, and Barbara gasped.

“It looks like a... cloaked stealth plane, made out of an incredibly light, possibly magical material. Words fail me to assume how it floats above the ground.”

“It doesn't even have a shadow,” Etta cackled. “Woo, woo! Did you summon an invisible plane?”

Suddenly, she froze when she saw her eyes. They were burning like stars, and were transfixed on the eagle plane.

“Diana! Is everything all right?” Etta blurted out, but she didn't seem to notice her. Diana touched the transparent hull, and with a whir, a hatch opened. Suddenly, an arc light sprang out of the swan plane and hit Diana, and she slumped into Steve's arms.

“D-Diana! Talk to me, are you okay?” he pleaded. All breathed a sigh of relief when she stirred, held her head and muttered, “I am fine. The plane... tested if I was its rightful owner... and bonded with me.”

She stood up and stepped inside, and Etta, Barbara and Steve stared as she seemingly disappeared in mid air.

“What are you waiting for? This plane is invisible. This will be our ride to Harjavti.” Diana exclaimed.

“There are only three places in the plane,” Steve pointed out.

“Call me a coward, but I'll gladly stay here and continue work at my Urzkartaga dig,” Barbara replied, and Diana smiled.

“You are no coward, and we'll return soon.”

Steve wished he was as sure, and after grabbing his suitcase, Etta, she and him stepped into the invisible plane. Diana sat behind a eagle shaped cockpit, consisting of floating globes that faintly reminded him of gyroscopes. They emitted light waves that focused on Diana's head, and he realized that it was some kind of very advanced mind-machine interface. Etta and Steve sat down on eagle shaped passenger seats, and Diana yelled, “Fasten your seat belts, we will lift off.”

Eagle wings wrapped around their waists, and a moment later, the invisible plane soared towards Harjavti, evading all human means of detection.

 

xxx

 

“This is the worst idea ever, and the darn black tree patches make me look fat,” Etta snapped, while the invisible plane hovered ten feet above an obscure back entrance of the Harjavti superfortress. While she struggled with the frilly ballroom gown from Steve's suitcase, he put on his ARYA officer uniform and grinned.

“This plan is easy as pie. We sneak in, and while I find and blow up the gas factories, you chill until I pick you up. Diana guards her invisible plane until we can fly back with her.”

Undetectable C4+ dough was sewn inside his shirt, high yield C4 so powerful that one ounce was able to take out a tank. While both put on their ARGUS earpieces, she looked in her hand mirror and complained. “I look like someone's homophobic aunt. Why must I go with you?”

“Only ARYA officers may visit the banquet, and on these occasions, they always have arm candy. Trust me on that, I was in deep cover for a year.”

“Can't Diana do this?” she muttered, trying to tame her frills.

“Rule 1 of sabotage: make sure your escape vehicle works. Can you fly that invisible plane?” he pointed out.

Etta shook her head and resigned to her fate. Steve glanced at his watch.“Synchronize watches, Etta. Your watch seems two seconds off.”

Diana rolled her eyes as she corrected it, but Steve exclaimed, “These two seconds could matter a lot.”

When they were finished, Steve nodded to Diana. “Let us down, please, and make sure nobody touches your plane.”

“As you wish,” she whispered and kissed him. Etta raised an eyebrow, but both overlooked that she crossed her fingers behind her back. Diana maneuvered her plane to ground level, let them out and watched as they both disappeared through the entrance.

When Steve was sure that Diana was out of earshot, he whispered to Etta, “It's wiser for several reasons to keep Diana back. She can free us by force if needed, and I also don't want her to be near Red Panzer.”

“You really don't want to take any risks, do you?”

“I’m afraid this is larger than any one of us.”

Etta and Steve walked through a corridor draped with huge black tree flags. From left and right, other couples joined their way, the men all dressed in dark ARYA uniforms, and the women in colorful evening gowns. Suddenly, a guard post appeared in front of them, and the soldiers bellowed, “Ladies and gentlemen, please show your invitation.”

“What is this supposed to mean? We have already been controlled outside.” the officer in front of Steve complained, but the guard replied: “Sorry, we are on high vigilance here. There are spies everywhere.”

Etta and Steve were next, and when she fearfully stared at him, he grinned. “Don't worry, I got this.”

With a gallant smile, Steve greeted the guard, stepped on Etta's toe and smiled, “'Dear, show him our invitation.'”

“'What? You just had the invitation.'” she retorted, suppressing a wince and understanding his signal. He pretended to confidently reach inside his pocket, and then, slowly feigned being frozen in shock.

“'Something wrong, dear?'” Etta snapped, staying in character, and he grinned awkwardly..

“'I'll have it in a second.'”

He feigned desperation and begged the guard in perfect Aryani, <By the black tree, please help me, brother.>

The guard raised his eyebrow, and he hissed, <What's the matter, officer?>

<I must have thrown away my invitation outside. My wife will kill me if we cannot attend the banquet.>

When the guard froze, Steve implored him. <Dear brother, look at her. She pummels me both at the table and in bed. I have eight kids, this is my only day of freedom. If I anger her, I will be her slave for the rest of my life. For the love of Mino, please save me.>

The guard noticed how Steve withered from Etta's death glare, perfectly feigning the scrawny husband who was mortally afraid of his dominant wife.

<You may pass, dear brother, and may the black tree shackle your wife's limbs,> the guard muttered, letting him though.

<Thank you so much, brother,> Steve said gratefully.

After Etta and Steve passed the guard post, he grinned, “Thank god for our ARGUS acting classes.”

“Whatever you said, I didn't understand it, but I bet you just dissed me,” Etta snapped.

“Sorry,” he said honestly. “Next time it's your turn.”

Both relaxed as they entered the main hall. It featured a lavish golden dome with massive marble pillars, and big flags with the black trees of Aryania hung from the ceiling. The crowd was buzzing with conversation, and everywhere, they saw officers in dark ARYA colors and their companions in bright ballroom gowns.

It was not hard to discover Red Panzer. With his seven feet of pure muscle, Johann Kaiser stood out like a god among men, and his angelic face with the golden hair could have belonged to a beautiful woman. Everybody stared at him in awe and horror, and his glaring red eyes seemed to see right into everyone's soul.

“Just avoid that guy like the plague,” Steve whispered, and Etta shuddered.

“Happy to oblige.”

“Okay, Etta, we proceed as planned. We must find out where those gas factories are. Maybe if we can find Dr. Poison, she could tell me,” Steve whispered, and both scanned the crowd.

 

xxx

 

Diana patiently waited until Etta and Steve were out of sight, then slowly steered the invisible plane away from the back of the fortress and scanned the crowd streaming in through the main entrance.

Suddenly, she saw that there was a women's toilet in the corridor behind the guard post. Like a phantom, Diana jumped out of her plane, avoided being seen by anyone, and hid just outside the lavatory. On queue, a grotesquely blond hag in a blue ballroom dress appeared, and loudly swore, “I meet the great Johann Kaiser, and they take away my smartphone! How am I going to upload my pics to Instachat? Scandal! Fausta Grables has half a million followers!”

Diana silently followed her inside. When Fausta combed her hair, she froze when she saw the Amazon in the mirror.

“What are you doing, you barbarian?” she snapped, while Diana compared bust, waist and hips and sized her up like a juicy piece of steak. Then, Fausta froze in horror and realized that she would probably miss that social event.

 

xxx

 

Etta and Steve scanned the crowd, neither slacking off nor gawking too obviously. Suddenly, she grabbed his wrist and gestured towards a hearth fire. Steve recognized the diminutive figure of Dr. Poison, dressed in the uniform of a high ranking officer, staring into a hearth fire. Many bystanders seemed eager to talk to her, but her eyes were so cold that it discouraged all conversation.

Steve adjusted his tie, walked over and purred, “Good evening, Dr. Maru, my name is Colonel Christian Tiberius. I am a great admirer of your work.”

Dr. Poison glared at him like an exterminator sizing up a cockroach, and she hissed, “Have we met somewhere?”

“No, madam,” he lied and continued. “The black tree is all about war, and many usually only see war as violence. But war as science us much more exciting.”

Steve let his words take effect, gazed into the fireplace and whispered, “I see that you admiring the hearth fire. Fire was humanity's first great weapon, invaluable for fighting wild beasts. The warriors incinerated their flesh, only killing one beast, but the scientists understand that burning up their oxygen kills the entire pack.”

Dr. Poison stared at him, and he thought, _Gosh, Isabel Maru is actually pretty. Even with that prosthesis, she would be a stunner if she smiled from the heart and didn't think of mass murder all the time._

“How do you control a man more... by burning his skin, or scorching his lungs? We know the answer, and that's why General Kaiser chose you as his right hand. You understand how fire really works It is not about burning flesh, it is deciding who may take the breath of life at all.”

“Yes... YES!!” Dr. Poison hissed, staring straight into the hearth fire.

“Dr. Maru, may I suggest that we leave this loud, ignorant crowd and retreat to a private place where your knowledge is more appreciated?” Steve purred.

Suddenly, the entire hall gasped when a stunning brunette appeared whom he did not know. The bombshell wore a long, figure hugging blue dress, which perfectly highlighted her chiseled body, her voluptuous curves and her long, toned legs. Everybody stared at her as she floated across the hall like a supermodel on a catwalk.

Steve's jaw dropped to the floor when he recognized Diana. _How is this possible? Why isn't she guarding her plane? What is she up to?_

Suddenly, Dr. Poison loudly cleared her throat, glared at Diana, than at him and snapped, “I think I will leave now. Your attention has obviously shifted.”

Steve felt like an utter fool and scolded himself: _You idiot, Trevor, a second later and she would have given you access to her gas factories._

Suddenly, he saw she was staring right at Red Panzer, who was standing right in the opposite corner of the hall. With two quick steps, he stepped in her way, turned her around with a shoulder grab and forced her into a dance.

“Steve, let go of me,” Diana hissed, resisting his grip.

“What are you doing here? You should be guarding our escape, Diana!”

“Steve, when I became champion of Themyscira, I swore to bring peace to the world of man.”

When he put her arm around her waist, he suddenly gripped a razor sharp blade. He blurted out in horror, “Are you wearing your sword in the back of your dress?”

“I am here to kill Ares. Do not try to distract me.”

“Diana... please, I can't let you do this.”

“I love you, Steve. But what I do is not up to you,” she whispered, gave him a cold kiss, and walked away.

Making Etta freeze with one glare of her eyes, she headed right at Red Panzer, grabbed the hilt of the Godkiller sword and was about to decapitate him, until Steve desperately fell into her arm and prevented the strike. Red Panzer turned around, and his eyes lit up at the sight of the stunning beauty. He grabbed her waist and beamed, “Welcome, beautiful woman! As the host of this banquet, I grant you the greatest privilege of them all, a dance with Johann Kaiser, the most eligible bachelor of Aryania.”

The look of the envious ladies was murderous, but nothing compared to the icy hatred in Diana's eyes. She resisted like a fish on dry land, but even with her super powers, she was unable to break his vise like grip.

“What is your name, beautiful woman, and where are you from? You are delightfully unfamiliar,” he purred.

Diana glared at him, but instead of spitting into his face, she was mesmerized by his red eyes and blurted out, “Diana P-Prince... from G-Greece.”

Red Panzer danced a perfect waltz with her, making the onlookers stare in admiration. Diana was shocked that she nearly gave herself away, having flashbacks of Steve when he was ensnared in her lasso. She shuddered: _Hera protect me, this is the power of a true war god!_

“You come from Greece, you told me? Your Minoan ancestors understood that war is a god, who requires human sacrifice. In exchange, war gives man purpose, a meaning... a chance to rise above his petty mortal little self... be courageous, noble, better.”

“Only one of the many gods believed in that, and he was wrong,” Diana hissed, cursing how his iron grip made it impossible to draw her sword.

He smiled evilly, “You know nothing of the gods, Ms. Prince.”

Red Panzer gallantly let her go with a bow, and left her glaring in a helpless rage. Suddenly, Dr. Poison and him stepped upon the musicians' stage. After they played a flourish, he grabbed a microphone and boomed, “Dear ladies and gentlemen, Dr. Maru and me are so honored that you attended this fabulous banquet! We are approaching the highlight of this feast. Sit back and enjoy the show!”

The lights were dimmed, and a giant 3D live feed of Zavimbe was projected on the ceiling of the giant hall. Steve's throat constricted as he saw many Zambesians he had met yesterday, citizens and soldiers swarming around their cottages, repairing the marketplace, the clock tower, and the church, and enjoying a day of sweet routine.

“This is the Zambesian village of Zavimbe, which was recently taken by subhuman kaffir scum. The real time footage is courtesy of our espionage satellites. Now watch how the black tree punishes their uprising!”

There was a whir of heavy pneumatics as a complete wing of the hall folded up, similar a retractable dome roof, and allowed the guests a perfect view of the missile launching bay half a mile away. With one terrible gesture, Red Panzer launched them, and with an earth shaking thunder, four warheads streaked into the sky like the apocalyptic riders.

Diana, Etta and Steve froze when Red Panzer slavered, “These missiles travel at twelve times the speed of sound. Look at the black kaffirs one last time, in 10 seconds, there will be nothing left to look at.”

All eyes were glued to the 3D live feed. One second showed an idyllic Zambesian afternoon, and in the next, there was a quadruple explosion. The Zavimbians screamed in horror, as they were engulfed by poisonous green clouds. Etta, Diana and Steve stared in horror when they breathed Dr. Poison's nerve gas, vomited black blood, cramped up in unspeakable agony and died a cruel, painful death. The camera panned to the soldiers, who quickly put on their gas masks and tried to help their dying people – until the glass of their eyepieces exploded, filled up with poisonous vomit, and fell to the ground as they died like flies, too.

The hall went deadly silent, but then, it burst into rapturous applause. Red Panzer and Dr. Poison pumped their fists, and the the crowd jumped up and screamed, “BRAVO! HAIL ARYANIA! HAIL THE BLACK TREE!”

“Thank you, my loyal followers. This was only the test, the actual fireworks will commence in an hour. We have a superbomber lined up at our airbase, fully loaded with Dr. Maru's gas. I will personally supervise its liftoff, and watch how it eradicates our enemies, and once again, the old Minoan kingdom will be reborn, and the black tree of Ares will reign over the world!”

The spectators cheered. _No, no, no,_ Diana screamed internally, feeling nothing but nameless horror. Her eyes were burning as the camera panned over Zavimbe. A minute ago, the streets had been bustling with activity, there were only horribly mutilated corpses. She grew numb when she recognized the limp figure of Sergeant Makabe, the shattered body of Dr. Minerva, hunched over the Urzkartaga altar, and in the end, saw the withered, broken corpse of old Imani. Everything went black, and when she stormed out of the hall, she overlooked that Barbara's body was oddly twitching.

While fireworks illuminated the sky, Diana ran onto a balcony, hunched over the rail and vomited. She retched until she was spewing green bile, interrupted by long, gut wrenching sobs. She felt personally responsible for the death of Zavimbe, and her grief would have broken a god. Suddenly, Diana sensed she was no longer alone, and when she drew her sword, she saw Etta and Steve. She decked him with a single punch, grabbed him by the collar and hissed, “Tell me one reason why I should let you live!”

“D-Diana, I c-couldn't let you murder him.”

“Because of you, Zavimbe has been eradicated, and Sergeant Makabe, Barbara and Imani have been murdered!”

“What if you had killed Red Panzer? Someone else would have launched the rockets, and the world would have hunted you as a murderer! Killing just creates more killing!”

“This is insanity! How sick is the world of man?”

“Diana, you either can do nothing, or you can do something. I already tried doing nothing, it doesn't work,” Etta whispered, recalling... a dark phase in her life when Steve painfully taught her to respect herself.

“In that case, the world of man is a lost cause, and there is only one solution. I will find that 'superbomber,' stop it from launching and kill Red Panzer,” Diana whispered in a low, terrible voice. She ripped off her vomit stained ballroom gown, revealing her combat armor underneath, and gripped her Godkiller sword.

“Diana, please don't do this. If you kill him, there will never be peace.”

“You are a liar, Steve! You are a spy, and lying is your forte. How do I know you're not lying to me now?”

Steve grabbed her lasso, ensnared his hand and pleaded, “Diana, if you attack Red Panzer in his own fortress, we are probably going to die. This is a terrible idea. It's not our fault that the world is messed up. But it will be if we mess it up even more.”

“You are such a silver tongued liar, Steve. My mother was right about the world, you don't deserve me.” she choked.

“Diana, maybe it's not what you deserve, but what you believe. I believe that this war should end. If you believe the same, then help me stop it!”

“You don't deserve me,” Diana hissed and gave him the coldest goodbye kiss ever. The divine ambrosia of last night had turned into the metallic taste of bloody steel, and like a flash, she jumped down the balcony, and disappeared into the darkness.

Steve stared after her and muttered, “Say it, Etta, I am the most worthless pile of dung in the world.”

“You are, but not for preventing her murder, but for breaking her heart.”

“Am I that easy to read?”

“I am your secretary, I know that you, Captain Kirk, have the hots for beautiful aliens... and actually, you make a wonderful couple.”

“Thank you, but what are we going to do now?”

“Save the world. I finally figured out what Red Panzer is planning,” Etta informed him. When Steve stared at her, she explained. “Remember when Diana deciphered that notebook in front of Director Waller? She told that ARYA was going to depopulate Zambesi, and kill civilians as a last test, before launching a full scale attack on something called a 'Blue Leafed Circle.'”

“We didn't prevent that, so what's new?”

“Before Director Waller threw us out of the room, she told us that she was briefing the President of the United States on the upcoming United Nations summit in Cairo. Remember what the logo of the U.N. is?”

Steve's jaw dropped to the floor. The United Nations logo was, of course, a blue globe surrounded by laurels.

“Oh my God, you are right! That superbomber will strike Cairo and kill all the world's leaders!”

“That will not be the worst. At our Zavimbe party, while Diana and you enjoyed each others' company, I talked all night to Dr. Minerva, God rest her brave soul. She explained that Ares grows strong on the death of powerful enemies, that's why he killed the Olympians and Urzkartaga. After murdering all our leaders, his forces will eradicate all armies with his upgraded poison gas. Ares will become so powerful that he will conquer earth.”

Steve stared at her, then spat out, cracked his knuckles and exclaimed, “In that case, I'll have to stop that superbomber from lifting off, or die trying. If I don't make it, Etta, please bury me in Boston, Fenway Park.”

“What are you talking about? There is no 'I' in 'we.'”

“Etta, don't be silly, it's a suicide mission.”

“We will fight with Diana, if she wants it or not, and if I learned anything from no man's land, it is that miracles happen around our wonder woman.”

“You really trust your friends, do you?” he muttered.

“Steve, years ago, you were my only friend, and without you, I would have never accepted myself, gone into therapy and beaten my eating disorders. I'll never doubt my friends again.”

When he sighed in exasperation, she whipped out her watch and grinned, “Synchronize watches. Your watch is one second off, Colonel.”

“It is, Ms. Candy, I corrected it. Let's go.”

 

xxx

 

Red Panzer was smoking a fat cigar, sipping finest champagne and standing triumphantly on the observation platform of the Harjavti military airport. Outside, Dr. Poison and her engineers busily loaded poison gas into the ARYA superbomber. A long range missile strike would have been easily picked off by anti air rockets, so it was better to launch a bomber, fly it as close as possible to the Egyptian border and then fire off the missiles, leaving only 20 seconds to react. For a second, the Aryan considered a last second change to Israel, but decided that finishing Hitler's job could wait... at least, for a day.

Suddenly, he heard a din coming from the lower floors, thuds accompanied by panicked screaming, as if a tsunami wave was obliterating his guards below. When Red Panzer furred his brow, the body of an unconscious ARYA soldier smashed through the massive steel door. A moment later, three or four bodies were thrown on top of him, and finally, he saw the perpetrator. Diana of Themyscira walked in, her body armor covered by cuts and welts, raised her shield and spat out, “You reign of terror ends here, murderer!”

Her mortal glare was enough to make a killer piss his pants, but when Red Panzer recognized her, his angelic features twisted into a unspeakably beautiful, cruel smile. He licked his lips, put down cigar and champagne glass and whispered, “Hello, beautiful stranger. I danced with you, and you were the first woman who didn't beg to be bedded.”

He fired off the cannon he had hidden underneath his table. Diana deflected the rocket shell with her bracelet, and it smashed the safety glass next to her. Red Panzer stared at her, and after failing to see the slightest fear, he whispered, “What are you?”

“You will soon find out.”

With a great battle cry, Diana hurled herself at Red Panzer and attempted to decapitate him. He dodged her blow, put on his helmet with lightning speed and parried her next strike with the muzzle of his cannon. He rammed his skull into her stomach, making her double over in pain, and smashed her into a cupboard. Covert ARYA files rained over Diana, while she jumped up, dodged his blow and kicked him though a table. Suddenly, she recoiled as he broke into loud laughter. Red Panzer stood up and smiled, “Beautiful stranger, you are matching me blow for blow. You are the paragon example of the Aryan master race, and born to rule over pathetic men like me. Please accept me as your consort, and we will produce gods.”

His eyes sparkled like red stars, and Diana froze. As if a veil had been lifted, she realized that he was the strongest, most beautiful and intelligent man she had ever encountered. His smile made her heart melt, and he purred, “Cast down your weapon, embrace your destiny, and I'll dress you in the silk and satin a goddess deserves.”

Diana was mesmerized by his words and was about to throw herself at his feet and become his bride, but with the last shred of willpower, she wrapped her lasso around her wrist. With a giant flash, the illusion disappeared, and Red Panzer's sweet proposal turned into the vilest, most repulsive words she had ever heard.

“Nice try, Aryan scum,” Diana spat out, threw her lasso and hit him right in the privates, nearly castrating him. Spewing gutter German, Red Panzer turned around, aimed his cannon at his fallen guards and shot them through the skull from point blank range.

“W-What you doing?” she recoiled in horror, and he grinned.

“In war, no fight is clean.”

Red Panzer spoke a magic mantra. With an evil flash, he took their life energy, the corpses dissolved into dust, and with new energy, he hurled a large vase at her. It hit Diana with the force of a truck, nearly blowing her off her feet, and he grabbed her by the throat and smashed her skull against the wall, forcing her to let go of the Godkiller. She kicked him so hard between his legs that he loosened his grip in agony, jumped away and fired two point blank rocket shells at her. Diana dodged the first one and deflected the second upwards, blowing a large hole into the ceiling. Red Panzer hurled himself at her, threw her into the wall, grabbed the Godkiller and planted his boot on her chest.

“As magnificent as you are, you are no match for me,” he slavered, thrusting the Godkiller at her heart. But Diana caught the blade with her bare hands and snapped,

“We'll see about that!”

Red Panzer pushed the blade down with inhuman power. Blood trickled out of Diana's hands, and the blade became so slick that she could hardly stop its fatal path. Red Panzer cried out in triumph when he seemingly impaled her, but saw she had rolled away, and he only had cut her hair. Diana jumped up, ignoring the black strands flying from her scalp, pulled her lasso and snared the helmet off his head. While he stared at her, she smashed the bottle of champagne over his skull and threw his cigar in his face. It exploded with the force of a small bomb, and the flames turned Red Panzer's beautiful features into a nameless rage.

“MY FACE! MY FACE!” he yelled, firing blindly at Diana until he could open his eyes again. Ignoring the searing pain, Red Panzer noticed that she was nowhere to be seen.

“Show yourself, you Greek whore!” he shouted, but there was no sound. Suddenly, from the floor below, Diana punched the Godkiller sword between Red Panzer's feet. She threw her lasso through the gap, ensnared his neck and pulled him to the ground – on the exact spot where her weapon was. Red Panzer literally fell on her sword, was impaled through the heart and died an ignominious death.

“I fight dirty, too,” Diana spat out, breathing heavily, resting her hands on her knees, and a smile appeared on her blood stained face. She raised the Godkiller, crossed her bracelets and croaked, “Praise Gaea and Hera, I have succeeded. I killed Ares, avenged the death of my sisters and have brought peace to the world of man.”

She gazed through the window. In the distance, Dr. Poison's henchmen were still loading gas into the superbomber.

“I killed Ares,” she muttered in confusion. “Why are they still feeding that killing machine? Why aren't they stopping? Why is there still war?”

_BECAUSE I AM ARES._

Diana turned around and stared into the cold, brilliant eyes of Dr. David Graves, ARGUS spymaster and Amanda Waller's right hand. She could not recall that that corner existed before, let alone explain why he was standing there.

“Dr. Graves...?” Diana croaked, her voice brittle with disbelief. “W-What are you doing here?”

_TAKING WHAT IS MINE, BASTARD._

 

xxx

 

From behind a barbed wire fence, Etta and Steve stared at the ARYA henchmen who were busily loading poison gas tanks inside the superbomber. Etta whispered, “Okay, Steve, what's the plan?”

“I'll try to sneak inside that superbomber and prevent liftoff at all costs. Maybe I'll knock out the pilot, maybe I can tamper with the electronics. I’ll figure something out.”

“What is my role?”

Steve opened his army jacket, and Etta remembered the layers of C4+ explosives under his shirt. He gave her his detonator and whispered, “If that thing goes airborne, you have the permission to blow me up.”

Etta became white as a sheet, but Steve grabbed her wrists and insisted. “Listen, Etta, this is larger than the two of us. Trust me, we'll pull this off, and you'll buy me a drink afterwards.”

Steve hugged her, blew her a kiss and disappeared in the night. With burning eyes, Etta stared at the detonator in her hand and thought, _If you pull this off, Captain Kirk, I'll buy you every drink for the rest of eternity._

Like a true master spy, Steve sneaked past the ARYA workers like a phantom. His skin crawled as he passed Dr. Poison, who was barking orders. “Faster, faster! The victory of the black tree lies in within our grasp!”

_You just wait, you mass murderer,_ Steve fumed inwardly, swearing to avenge the massacre of Zavimbe. He sneaked further, but out of nowhere, he heard a feral growl. Steve thought he was imagining things, but then, the growl returned, and there was a loud, intense sniffing that rapidly came closer. He froze to ice, and suddenly, he was mauled by a giant feral beast that bore no resemblance to any known living being.

Steve cried out in pain, as razor sharp claws slashed his chest. Huge canines nearly decapitated him, and his legs were bound by an strong, incredibly prehensile tail. It struck faster than lightning, and he thought, _What is it? A lion? A tiger? A cheetah?_

The beast attacked him with such force that it threw him against a mobile spotlight. With a giant hum, it sprang to life and illuminated his attacker.

Steve was staring at a cheetah-human hybrid with golden cat eyes, yellow fur, razor sharp claws, prehensile tail and distinctively female features. Suddenly, he noticed the veil of long red hair, made a double take and gasped. “BARBARA?!”

The creature froze, as if his scream had triggered something deep inside. The problem was that Dr. Poison and all the ARYA soldiers were now staring at them.

 

 

**ARMAGEDDON**

“I... I don't understand,” Diana stammered, looking at Ares. Outwardly, he had Dr Graves's face, but it was only a hollow shell which barely concealed his true power. Every word shook her to the bone, and his presence was no longer mortal, but that of a god.

YOU WERE RIGHT, DIANA, MANKIND DOESN'T DESERVE US. THEY ALWAYS WERE AND WILL BE WEAK, AND DESERVE DESTRUCTION.

Diana slowly walked up to him, threatening to strike him with her Godkiller sword. In a low, dangerous voice, she hissed, “You are a murderer, Ares, and you will pay.”

Diane swung her sword, but he disappeared in thin air and reappeared next to her. When she wanted to slice him again, she hit air again, and she cried out, “I trusted you! I believed your complaint in front of Director Waller about Aryania, their apartheid regime, their gas warfare, and how horrible you found it that we only looked on! Aryania is your state, they worship your black tree!”

I AM NOT YOUR ENEMY, DIANA... I AM THE ONLY ONE WHO TRULY KNOWS MANKIND, BASTARD!

“You make mankind kill and murder!” Diana screamed and impaled him with the Godkiller. He merely stuck out his hand, and instead of slaying him, the blade broke, leaving her only with a charred hilt. While Diana stared in disbelief, Ares snatched the lasso out of her hand, ensnared his torso with the glowing rope. , _I AM NOT THE GOD OF WAR, I AM THE GOD OF TRUTH. I DIDN'T START THEIR WARS, THEY DID THIS THEMSELVES. NOW, YOU KNOW THE TRUTH... HOW WEAK AND HATEFUL OUR FATHER'S CREATION IS._

“Zeus is not my father. I was formed from clay, he just gave me life,”Diana whispered, and Ares slavered, _YOUR MOTHER NEVER TOLD YOU, DID SHE? THAT SWORD IS NOT THE GODKILLER, YOU ARE. YOU ARE THE DAUGHTER OF ZEUS AND HIPPOLYTA, YOU ARE ONE OF MY FATHER'S BASTARDS._

“You lie! You LIE! You breed liars, killers and murderers!” Diana screamed, unable to cope with the magnitude of this revelation.

_I DON'T MAKE MANKIND EVIL, I ONLY NURTURE WHAT IS ALREADY THERE. RED PANZER FREELY CHOSE TO BECOME A TERRORIST LEADER, DR. POISON FREELY CHOSE TO BECOME A MASS MURDERER, AND ALL THE SOLDIERS FREELY CHOSE TO BECOME KILLERS. HOW DO YOU THINK YOU ENTERED YOUR CONTEST? ALEXA FREELY CHOSE TO WORSHIP ME AND TRADE HER PLACE FOR YOURS!_

“Great Gaea... it means that... Alexa is a traitor,” Diana blurted out in horror. Ares grinned: _MANKIND IS WEAK, THEY ARE SO EASILY SWAYED. THE CHILDREN OF ZEUS HAVE STOLEN THIS WORLD. STARTING WITH MINO, I AM TAKING IT BACK._

“The Minoans would despise you, you killer. I will destroy you!” Diana snapped, but Ares smiled.

_DEAR CHILD, DON'T MAKE ME FIGHT YOU._

Ares grabbed the glowing rope, charged it with lightning and caused a massive electric discharge that sent her flying through the safety glass. A gigantic of blast of ball lightning illuminated the pitch black night, and the shock wave blew the observation platform to smithereens. Diana fell two stories deep, and crashed so hard that the tarmac cracked under her.

_Thank Hera for body armor,_ she thought, but a second later, she froze. Ares floated in the air like the god he truly was, lifted his arms and uttered words of power. The debris magically sprung to life, whirled around and shot straight at Diana.

“FOR THEMYSCIRA!” she bellowed, charging at Ares and deflecting massive furniture, huge bricks and pieces of tarmac hitting her with the force of a truck. The war god simply rose his arms, gazed into the pitch black sky and summoned a lightning bolt that struck Diana. It hit her like a missile, and blew her off her feet with such force that she somersaulted through the air several times before finally smashing into a barbed wire fence.

Suddenly, she saw a familiar face. Etta freed her from the razor sharp fence, stared at Ares in horror and stammered, “Diana! What is happening?!”

“Armageddon,” she whispered with a chalk white face. Ares looked down as if she were mere vermin, while Dr. Poison and the ARYA soldiers fell to their knees and cried out, “Ares, our master! Our master has appeared!”

YES, MY DISCIPLES! LAUNCH THAT BOMBER, COMPLETE ITS MISSION AND JOIN ME IN PARADISE!

“FOR ARES!” they screamed in rapture. Their black tree tattoos glowed like evil pulsars, and Diana just stared at their cold, vengeful faces utterly determined to destroy the world of man.

She stood up, crossed her bracelets and spat at Ares, “Not on my watch, brother!”

Diana grabbed her lasso and charged at the war god, dodging all debris he threw at her, jumping over burning tarmac and deflecting incoming bolts of lightning. She snared a burning ARYA jeep, whirled it around her head and launched it at the war god. It was a direct hit, and she jumped forward to ensnare Ares himself. But as the rope shot forward, he lifted his hand, and it stopped in mid air in absurd defiance of physics. While it flopped around like a choking snake, Ares laughed.

MY LITTLE DEAR, YOU HAVE SO MUCH TO LEARN.

When Diana wanted to mount another attack, she was suddenly jumped by an incredibly fast and incredibly strong beast. With lightning reflexes, she rammed her bracelets into its huge canines, and couldn't evade its razor sharp claws. Without body armor, she would have literally been gutted. A prehensile tail snared her legs, and a cheetah woman with red hair and golden eyes slavered, “D—DIE!”

“Who are you? What are you?” Diana screamed, so blindsided that she could hardly defend herself. A bullet struck the beast in his leg, made it roar and caused it to jump away. Steve lowered his gun, spat out blood and croaked: “Diana, Etta, that is Dr. Barbara Minerva!”

The two women stared at the Cheetah and blurted out in utter disbelief, “W-what? H-how?”

“When Zavimbe was gassed, Barbara died on the Urzkartaga altar. For some reason, the man-hating cheetah goddess gave her life, and now she has turned into a man hating Cheetah herself.”

Diana stared at Steve, who looked as if he had been mauled by Barbara – or rather, the Cheetah. With blinding speed, she jumped at Steve, but was snared in mid air by Diana's lasso. “Barbara, don't fight us,” Diana pleaded.

Cheetah twisted and squirmed in the glowing rope, and finally spat out, _“Urzkartaga... hates men! They are TRAITORS! Graves, Steve, my father... MUST DIE!”_

“Barbara, that is wrong! Look at Dr. Poison!”

Cheetah let out a ferocious growl and slavered, _“All men are LIARS... we must wage war against them... and if you defend them, Diana... then you are my mortal enemy.”_

With superhuman agility, she twisted out of the snare, jumped Diana with terrifying speed and tried to bite off her neck. She deflected her attack with her bracelets, punched her in the face and pleaded again, “Stop it, Barbara, Ares is going to eradicate mankind. Please help us!”

_“Ares is right! Only dead men are good men,”_ she spat out, frothing at the mouth, and Diana knew that her friend was completely consumed by hate. She grabbed her by the neck, punched her and threw her against an ARYA tank.

When Cheetah got up, Etta glared at her and hissed, “Dear Barbara, I don't want to hurt you, so don't force my hand.”

_“Hah! What can you do against me, lard ball?”_

“This, you fat shaming traitor,” she snapped, drew the flame thrower she hid behind her back and covered Cheetah in an ocean of fire. She cried out in primal fear, jumped behind the tank and cowered in panic.

“Fire, the oldest Achilles heel of wild beast,” Etta grinned, and Diana managed a cramped smile at the reference. But then, she jumped up and deflected ARYA machine gun fire that would have turned Etta and Steve into Swiss cheese. All three ran behind a massive slab of debris, and Steve looked at the airplane in horror.

“We are running out of time! The superbomber is ready for liftoff!”

“That's not the biggest problem, either,” Etta pointed at Ares. The war god floated in the air and raised his arms, making the entire sky crackle with static.

“NO!” Diana screamed, charged at Ares, dodging incoming debris, burning vehicles and the machine gun fire of his henchmen. Ares glared at Diana and struck her down with a lighting bolt of cataclysmic force.

Diana crossed her bracelets, and the impact caused an explosion that simply leveled everything in a 100 foot radius. The shock wave blew her away like a rag doll, and the lightning ignited the air, and a wave of fire engulfed Ares and incinerated everything that stood in its way. Diana felt herself tumble through the air, hit the tarmac, and smashing through several obstacles before she finally lay down on the asphalt.

Diana knew that she was in shock. She couldn't move, and saw the world only through a thick pane of glass, as if her mind was separated from her body. As if she were an outside onlooker, she saw herself staggering to her feet and looking at the burning pyre. The entire airport was burning, but in a cruel twist of fate, the superbomber was standing in the one corner not yet reached by the fire.

Suddenly, Steve ran to at Diana's side. He pointed at the plane and moved his lips, but she was deafened by the explosion and heard nothing.

(What are you saying? I don't understand,) she croaked, unable to hear her own words. Diana stared at him, trying to read his lips, and failing. She stammered something, but Steve shook his head. Tears were streaming down his face, and he uttered something that made him shudder. Diana just stared at him and repeated,: (What are you telling me?)

Steve gazed at her with an expression that made her heart skip, and he waved farewell, pressed something into her hand. Diana stared as she recognized his army watch, and suddenly realized he was running to the superbomber. With reckless abandon, he used mere smoke as cover against the machine gun fire, knowing every delay could mean the end.

But suddenly, the air was filled with static. Her hair crackled as Ares floated up in the air, engulfed by an ocean of fire. It incinerated his flesh, leaving only a skeleton without any resemblance to Dr. David Graves. But instead of destroying him, it seemed that the fire only burnt off an annoying shell, finally revealing his true form.

From all over the airport, Ares summoned burning metal, which attached himself to his body. He created an armor out of fiery war machines, soaked with pain, death and sorrow. He towered high over the vermin at his feet, with two red eyes glaring out of the slits of his horned helmet, his powerful body protected by sheer indestructible metal, with the charred black tree glowing on his chest plate. Ares was supercharged by the collective will of his followers, who had chosen to live and die for Aryania, the state of Ares.

I WILL CONQUER THIS WORLD, STARTING WITH YOU, BASTARD!

With a giant war cry, Ares charged at Diana, but instead of punching her, he hit the ground, making it quake so violently that it nearly took her off her feet. When she tumbled, he grabbed her ankle and smashed her into the tarmac. But suddenly, Diana's head cleared up, and she evaded the next blow, whipped out her lasso and thought, _To beat this monster, I have to fight two times harder, five times harder, ten times harder than ever. I can do this._

With newfound confidence, she threw her lasso, made it twist and quiver like a living thing, and when Ares misjudged its trajectory, she ensnared him in its noose. The war god screamed, summoned a circle of razor sharp debris and hurled it at Diana. She took cover behind an ARYA tank, and he used the brief pause to grab a car and hurl it straight through the armored vehicle. Diana barely jumped away before it could decapitate her, and went into counter attack. Deflecting ARYA machine gun fire, she dodged his punch, grabbed his wrist and pummeled his head. Every blow against the burning metal was agony, but if a god punches another god, it hurts even through layers of armor. Ares screamed in pain and tried to strike her with his armored gauntlet, but Diana was too quick.

“Is that all you’ve got? Aunt Antiope fights better than you!” she taunted him, forcing him into a half nelson. Ares spat out, escaped by twisting his neck in an impossible angle, and punched her off him. Diana ripped off her tiara and threw it like a boomerang, but he dodged, and wrestled her to the ground.

I COULD TAKE YOU HERE AND NOW, WHORE, AND GIVE YOU THE OLDEST POSSIBLE PUNISHMENT!

“Leave incest to Erebus, you monster,” Diana shot back, and the tiara boomeranged back and hit Ares right in the eye slits. He cried out in agony, and while black blood poured out of his helmet, she kicked him off, put her tiara back on and tried to snare him again with her lasso. But then, he flicked off the magic rope and shouted,

ENOUGH!

Ares raised his arms, and the tarmac under Diana's feet sprang to life, ripping it off completely with the steel mesh underneath. Before she could react, he wrapped her up in several layers, and slammed her against the asphalt. NOW YOU KNOW THE MEANING OF REAL POWER!

While she struggled in her bonds, Dr. Poison and Cheetah appeared out of the shadows. Diana's eyes widened in horror when they knely in front of Ares and showed him the lifeless forms of Etta and Steve.

“Greetings, my lord Ares. We humbly present the two terrorists who tried to foil our plans,” Dr. Poison announced, giving Steve an extra kick. Etta looked horribly mauled, as if Cheetah had taken great pleasure in battering her, and Steve was visibly poisoned, vomiting blood. Dr. Poison continued, “The superbomber has just taken off. In a few minutes, our target will be leveled.”

THANK YOU, MY DISCIPLES, YOU WILL BE REWARDED. LOOK, DIANA, HOW A WAR GOD PUNISHES TREASON!

With one powerful gesture, he let the lifeless form of Steve float in the air. Dr. Poison and Cheetah grinned, and Diana screamed, “No, Ares! Take me instead!”

Ares looked her straight in the eye, and he cupped his head and vaporized Steve with a lighting bolt.

The sound which came out of Diana's mouth was not human. She screamed in utter agony, as the charred remains of the man she loved rained onto her. Diana's cries would have frozen the hellhounds of Styx, but Ares just gloated. LOOK AT THIS WORLD, DIANA. MANKIND ALLOWED ME TO DO THIS. THEY ARE UGLY, WEAK AND HATEFUL, JUST LIKE YOUR PRECIOUS LOVER. HE IS GONE AND LEFT YOU WITH NOTHING. PATHETIC.

With a holy, world destroying rage, the daughter of Zeus burst out of her shackles. Filled with terrible power, Diana floated up in the air, raised her arms and incinerated everything in her radius. The ARYA machine gun bullets melted in mid air, and Dr. Poison and Cheetah backed up in panic, as Ares laughed. AH, YOU ARE EMBRACING THE TRUTH AND HARNESSING THE POWER OF OUR FATHER! FINALLY, YOU SEE HOW WEAK MANKIND IS, JUST LIKE YOUR PRECIOUS CAPTAIN TREVOR!

“YOU LIAR!” Diana screamed and attacked the war god. She was no longer a mortal, but a war goddess who fought Ares himself as a peer. Every breath made the air burn, every punch made the ground quake, and every parry was accompanied by a hailstorm of sparks. Even the ARYA soldiers cowered in fear, as they were witnessing Armageddon.

Diana hurled herself at Ares, no longer wanting to fight him, but consumed by an all destroying rage to kill him. She wanted to decapitate him, choke him, and draw and quarter him. But instead of cowering in fear, Ares laughed at her berserker rage and rejoiced. YES, DIANA, EMBRACE YOUR RAGE! YOU AND I WERE BUILT FOR WAR!

“I WILL KILL YOU!” she screamed, and suddenly realizing that the ARYA soldiers were machine gunning her, and Dr. Poison was covering her in poison gas. She charged at them in a mindless rage, slicing them left and right, like an exterminator cleansing vermin. From the corner of her eye, she saw Cheetah hurling herself at her, but she deflected her attack with one hateful parry, grabbed her at the collar and curb stomped her. When the ARYA soldiers encircled her to run her over, she raised her arms, and incinerated them with a shock wave of divine rage.

YES, DIANA! KILL THEM ALL! FINALLY YOU SEE WHAT I HAVE SEEN, Ares gloated, and smiled when she lifted up an ARYA tank and jumped over to Dr. Poison.

The death doctor backed up in horror when the sky darkened above her, and 20 tons of steel were hovering over her. The heat burned off her facial prosthesis, showing horrible gas burns that reduced her left jaw to a jumbled mess of charred flesh. She looked at Ares and cried out, “Master, help me!”

But instead, Ares snapped, DO IT, DIANA! SHE IS THE PERFECT EXAMPLE OF MANKIND'S UGLINESS. SHE IS NOTHING BUT A GUTLESS MURDERER, VERMIN WHICH DESERVES TO BE CRUSHED!

Dr. Poison froze when she realized that Ares had abandoned her. She stared Diana in the eye, who was about to crush her beneath 20 tons of war machine. With the little honor left inside of her, she steeled herself and looked death straight in the eye.

When Diana threw the tank, a flash appeared out of nowhere, grabbed Dr. Poison by the waist and rescued her from a cruel and horrible death. Diana cried out in mortal rage, but when she reached for her lasso, she grabbed nothing but air. Before she realized what was going on, the newcomer snared her with the glowing rope and croaked: “Snap out it, angel, please!”

Suddenly, everything crackled before her eyes. The entire fabric of reality shifted, and her jaw dropped to the floor when she saw a bloodied, beaten Steve, holding on to the lasso with the last shreds of his strength.

No punch of Ares had hit Diana's gut with as much force as seeing him rise from the dead. White to the lips, she stammered, “No, no! This is an illusion, you are dead! YOU ARE DEAD, STEVE!”

“Ares is playing tricks on your mind. He wants to make you kill, and if he succeeds, you will be his puppet forever!” he blurted out, before slumping to the ground. Diana moved in front of him and glared at Dr. Poison, who got the message and quickly fled.

Suddenly, everything made sense to Diana. With divine calmness, she straightened up, standing to her full height, and slowly walked up to Ares. He glared at her in apoplectic rage and screamed. NOBODY ESCAPES MY SPELL! FIGHTING ME IS FIGHTING THE TRUTH! JOIN MY WAR VERSUS THE WORLD OF MAN!

“You are a liar, Ares. Luckily, I was raised to know that a fight is never fair,” Diana smiled, and her smile was worse than any insult. With a terrible war cry, Ares charged towards her, surrounded by a halo of razor sharp debris. Each shard packed enough punch to sink a battleship, but she crossed her bracelets and deflected them as if they weren't there. Her aura was so powerful that Ares was stopped in his tracks, not capable of attacking her without getting his black soul burnt by her light.

Diana gazed at his squirming form and whispered, “Ares, you only fight for yourself. I will fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. A wise man told me that life is not about what we deserve, but what we believe. It's about what you believe, and I believe in love. Only love will truly save the world.”

Ares stared at her and bellowed, I SHALL DESTROY YOU!

He lifted his arms, made the entire sky crackle, and summoned a bolt of lightning powerful enough to vaporize a continent. It struck Diana with the force of an earthquake, but she merely crossed her bracelets and stood tall like a true goddess. Her bracelets absorbed the energy and shone like stars, and she floated in the air like an angel, her limbs crackling with static, gazed at Ares and whispered, “Goodbye, brother.”

She sent the lightning right back at him and engulfed him in a beam of apocalyptic force. Ares cried out in horror as his body shattered under the elemental strike, and one by one, his limbs dissolved. He broke to his knees, and then, his helmet exploded, his torso cracked under its own weight, and his legs were vaporized. The holy beam eradicated Ares out of existence, and Harjavti airport exploded in a gigantic flash of light, which shot up like a divine spire and was even seen by the puzzled U.N. delegates in Cairo.

Finally, it was all over. Nothing but void existed in the place were Ares had stood, a fitting end for the war god. Diana looked around, and stared into the eyes of the ARYA soldiers. But when she thought she would have to fight them all again, they threw away their weapons and prostrated themselves in front of Diana. She nodded coldly, hardly able to hide her disgust, but then Steve cried out: “Diana, please come here! Etta is dying!”

Diana snapped out ofit and saw that he was kneeling next to Etta, who had been terribly mauled by Cheetah. Steve begged, “Diana, she lost a lot of blood. You just beat Ares, have super powers and an invisible plane. Angel, please do something!”

Diana knelt down next to Etta, but as a warrior, she knew it was futile. White as a sheet, Diana stammered, “I can do nothing, Steve. May Persephone have mercy on her.”

Steve cried out, and her heart turned into a peach stone. Suddenly, a low voice whispered, “Maybe, I can help.”

Diana and Steve stared at the diminutive figure of Dr. Poison, who was carrying an emergency surgery kit.

“Why should we accept help from a mass murderer who leveled Zavimbe?” Diana snapped, but Steve begged,

“Diana, please, it is our only chance!”

She glared at him, but finally nodded. Dr. Poison quickly went to work, and there was no compassion in her eyes, just... will to survive, not more, but not less. She rammed syringes into Etta's arms and, emptied a gallon of artificial blood and dangerous chemicals into her body, but after endless minutes, Etta coughed and sputtered.

“W-Where am I, and what is that disgusting smell?”

Diana hugged her friend and sobbed, “Welcome back, Etta, now all will be good.”

Dr. Poison sat up, looked at Steve and spoke,: “I do hope for clemency when we meet again, officer.”

“Call your superbomber back immediately.”

“It has been called back, I have no reason to follow Ares's orders anymore.”

“Good.”

Diana glared at her, but Steve replied, “You saved one life, Dr. Maru, not more, but not less. Your lawyer at the Den Haag war crime tribunal will be glad about it.”

Suddenly, dawn broke over Aryania, and with all its might, the sun pushed back the cold, black night. A new, hopeful day started in the Middle East.

 

 

**REWARDED**

“This is Lois Lane reporting for the _Daily Planet_. Days after the mysterious explosions in Harjavti fortress, which claimed the life of Aryanian marshal Johann Kaiser, a massive mutiny of the ARYA army has caused Chancellor Melchior to step down. Millions of people are celebrating end of the civil war and the fall of the apartheid regime. U.N. observers are not commenting on the rumors of poison gas factories, allegedly led by the recently imprisoned Aryanian chemist Dr. Isabel Maru.”

After returning to Boston, Etta, Diana and Steve were watching the latest news in Etta's hospital room. While the women eagerly stuffed themselves with ice cream, Steve had a Greek salad. Suddenly, he heard, “According to unconfirmed rumors, the Aryanian crisis was at least partly solved by a new superhero, dubbed 'The Wonder Woman.' Zambesian eye witnesses have collected phantom sketches.”

The three stared at garish scrawlings of Diana in a star spangled swimsuit, go go boots and a seductive smile.

“The African response has been positive, and in Israel, swimsuit model Gal G. sparked a social media rage with her Wonder Woman cosplay. American opinions are split. After already singling out Batman and Robin, psychologist Dr. Alfred Wortham sees 'The Wonder Woman' as a new danger for youth. He criticized her as a 'half naked barbarian' which sets a dangerous precedent for the LGBTQ+ community...”

“'The Wonder Woman,'” Diana cringed, burying her face in her hands. “Great Gaea, I will die of shame.”

“I still think that is a great superhero name.” Etta retorted.

“As usual, we don't get any love from the media,” Steve mumbled. “That's the life of a secret agent.”

“... after three days, the United Nations conference in Cairo came to an end, marked by surprising breakthroughs in making peace. Many international treaties have been signed, and a sudden 'wind of change' replaced long standing realpolitik with a will to abolish war once and for all.”

Etta, Diana and Steve smiled at each other, and Steve whispered, “Thanks for making all this possible, Diana.”

“I should thank you two. None of this would have happened without you having my back.”

Steve muttered, “True, but actually, we were three. I wish Barbara were here. Whatever she does, and wherever she is, she was not always a ruthless Cheetah.”

“I still cannot believe it. We worked, fought and got drunk together, and then she nearly kills me,” Etta snapped.

“Urzkartaga is a merciless goddess who hates men. I saw enough of Barbara to see that she... was attracted by this. She is her perfect herald, and I fear that we haven't seen the last of the Cheetah,” Diana said.

“To us! Woo, woo!” Etta toasted, lifting her glass, and Diana and Steve clinked with her. Etta asked, “Diana, your mission is finished, what will you do now?”

“Oh, my mission has just started. The more I know about your world, the more I see how much injustice there is. There is so much waste, greed and cruelty... but also, so much love, compassion and friendship. It is my mission to bring peace to the world of man, and I will not go until I have achieved my goal.”

“In that case, I hope you live forever,” Etta muttered.

Diana straightened up and asked, “May I ask a favor of you? I want to take my invisible plane, fly back to Themyscira, tell my mother the good news about Ares and introduce you to my friends.”

“A trip to Paradise Island? Are you kidding? Of course I will come, that is such a huge honor!” Etta beamed.

“As long as we don't get shot down,” Steve added

“I personally guarantee that this won't happen, Steve”

“Whatever you say, angel,” he grinned, and Etta smiled when her two friends played footsie under the table.

 

xxx

 

Etta and Steve beamed with pride when Diana was led up the stairs of the packed Themyscira Circus Maximus, and Queen Hippolyta crowned her champion – the savior of Mino - with the golden victory laurel. Her armor, her lasso and her shield sparkled like diamonds, and as a sign of victory, she wore a white-golden cape which flowed around her body like a glowing veil. The entire arena applauded, breaking out in frenzied celebration, and chanting of “DIANA! DIANA! DIANA!”

The princess of Themyscira had done the impossible, helped the outsider to win the war against Ares and slayed the war god herself. Neither mother nor daughter could hold back tears when they hugged, showered by roses, laurels and gladioli. Menalippe beamed like the proudest grandmother in the universe, and General Antiope bowed deeply, as well as Artemis, Veldeia, Nubia and all the other Amazons who had tried to become the champion.

“That golden laurel really suits you, Diana,” Etta whispered in awe, marveling how it shone like a halo in her jet black hair. Siana smiled.

“Thank you, Etta.”

Suddenly, Etta noticed that something odd on her wrist, and giggled. “Are you wearing Steve's army watch now?”

“I will never take it off again,” Diana told her. She turned to Queen Hippolyta and whispered, “Mother, do you have a moment alone?”

“Of course,” she beamed and pulled her into a private office.

Diana cleared her throat, mustered all her courage and blurted out, “I know that Zeus is my father.”

All color drained from Queen Hippolyta's face, and her knees had turned into jelly. Diana stared at her and cried. “Why, mother? Why did you never tell me the truth? Why did you lie to me all my life?”

Queen Hippolyta stared at the ground, not daring to meet her daughter's gaze. The most powerful Amazon felt her throat constrict, and finally, she confessed, “Because I was a coward!”

Diana's silence was worse than any insult. Queen Hippolyta croaked, “When Zeus created us Amazons, we swore never to be corrupted by the lecheries of man. But he was the most powerful, handsome and smart male I had ever encountered, and when he seduced me, I willingly gave myself to him. Nine months later, you were born.”

“I am a result of male lechery,” Diana spat out, but her mother cried,

“No, NO! You are the greatest gift of the gods, and I love you more than my life.”

“What did Hera say? You cuckolded her”

“I will never forget her look when she found out,” Queen Hippolyta shuddered. “she scolded me as a stinking whore, and taunted me that I was only the last of Zeus's conquests. You have many half siblings, Diana, like Apollo, Dionysos, Heracles, Tantalus... and do you know what my most shameful secret is? I will never forgive Ares that he killed the love of my life.”

Queen Hippolyta burst out in tears of shame, her soul raw after centuries of flagellation. Diana watched on as her mother wept in self disgust. She wanted to strike her, curb stomp her and scream that she would never forgive her lies, but to her own surprise, she put her arms around her and whispered, “Thanks for telling me the truth.”

“I l-lied to you, D-Diana! I lied t-to you all my l-life, I d-don't d-deserve you,”

“Yes, you lied, and you really hurt me, mother. But you had your reasons, and while I truly disagree, I forgive you. I am still disappointed, but grateful you finally told me.”

Her mother stopped weeping, looking at her daughter in utter disbelief. Finally, she whispered, “You are so... majestic. You put me to shame, and this is a compliment. Did you learn this in the world of man?”

“A wise man showed me that forgiveness is stronger than hate. Luckily, I didn't have to learn it the hard way.”

Queen Hippolyta stared at her in awe, kissed her and muttered, “Thank you, my daughter. I will always be in your debt. May Hera find a better Amazon ruler in you than me.”

“If Hera is willing, I can wait for another few centuries,” Diana smiled, and her mother kissed her and left the room. Her eyes were red, but for the first time in centuries, her heart was light.

Diana let the moment sink in, amazed how she had handled it. She collected herself for a moment before she finally stepped outside. With a big smile, she entered the banquet which was held in her honor. The entire throne hall was decked out in banners in gold, red and blue, the colors of the champion, singers and artists provided entertainment, and there was so much food piled on the long tables that Steve wondered how they didn't break.

Of course, Diana and Queen Hippolyta sat in the best seats, but as honored guests, Etta and Steve sat right next to them, flanked by General Antiope's elite guard, featuring Artemis, Veldeia, Nubia, Orana and many more.

“Why are you sweating so much, Steve? You are the only male in an ocean of armored supermodels,” Etta giggled.

“They could snap me in half without trying... and last time, they REALLY wanted to.”

“Don't worry, Steve. If anyone comes near you, she'll have to deal with the champion herself.” Diana grinned.

After short speeches by Queen Hippolyta and her, the monarch happily opened the buffet, and all eagerly dug in. There was a smörgåsbord of lovely Mediterranean cuisine, rich in seafood, olives and cheese, with enough song and wine to sate Dionysos himself.

“Woo, woo!” Etta crooned while eagerly devouring her souvlaki. Steve smiled.

“Hey, leave something for us.”

“I was literally dead last week, I have to catch up.”

Suddenly, Steve felt a tap on his shoulder, turned around and looked into the harsh gray eyes of General Antiope. He jumped up and stammered, “H-hello, General, it is an h-honor to meet you.”

“Hello, Colonel Trevor, the honor is mutual. I wanted to apologize to you.” Steve did a double take, and she continued. “After you crashed down on Themyscira, I did everything to break you, and I was wrong. For that, I am sorry.”

Diana stared at her aunt, and Steve smiled, “Apology accepted, General. If I were you, I would have been as distrustful as you.”

“Thank you, Colonel, I am grateful to hear that. It may interest you that we found and destroyed a secret black tree altar on Themyscira, maintained by a librarian named Alexa.” Diana nodded grimly, and she continued. “When we tried to interrogate her, she escaped justice by suicide. Ares's followers have never been brave, just brutal.”

“I can confirm that, General.”

“I am very curious about your exploits. I heard you became the spymaster of your secret police. From general to general, do you care talking it over with a nice beer? I would like to introduce you to my officers.”

Steve stared at her, and then smiled. “Sure!”

Diana just stared when her aunt led Steve to her table, convinced that he had advanced mind control powers. Then, there was a loud gong, and to honor Diana's victory, Artemis, Veldeia, Nubia, Orana, Penelope and Mala performed the famous Amazonian sword dance. With dizzying speed, the warriors twisted and gyrated around each other, striking and parrying in impossible formations. Each strike was accompanied by a loud bang and a shower of bright sparks. While Etta hugely amused herself, Steve barely dared to look. Diana taunted, “Open your eyes, you coward, you are missing the show.”

“Just let me know if everybody survives without severed limbs and decapitated heads,” he muttered.

“I'll cut off YOUR head if you don't look,” she retorted.

The sword dance ended with rapturous applause, and Steve dared to breathe again. After finishing their meals, the dancing began. For a few seconds, Steve furred his brow when he saw women dancing with women, but then laughed at his ignorance. Diana eagerly led Steve on the dancefloor, and he enjoyed how warmly she beamed at him as she led him across the hall. It was so nice dancing with her if she didn't have a sword sticking out of her back. He smiled when he saw that Etta had a good time with Mala. Finally, Diana took his hand and smiled. “Care to go outside?”

“Sure,” he beamed, and she led him outside the royal palace and into the moon lit evening. To his surprise, she walked into the stalls, mounted her horse and smiled.

“This is my mare Kachi. Sit behind me, we are going for a ride.”

Steve did as requested, and slung his arms around her waist. He shamelessly cuddled up against her, and she smiled when she felt him so close to her. Diana gave Kachi the stirrups, and rode towards the beach. No cloud disturbed the starry skies, the wind was warm and soothing, and the lovely musk of sand, palms and sea water was in the air. She dismounted Kachi, took Steve's hand, and led him over the powder white sand to the brilliant blue ocean.

“It's so lovely here,” Steve whispered in awe.

Diana hugged him from behind and purred, “Do you know why I led you here? This is the beach where I rescued you.”

He stared at her, and then blurted out in disbelief, “Yes, you are right! I remember this coastline!”

“Everything started here, Steve, and I am so happy I rescued you. You helped me to kill Ares, and there are no words to express my gratitude.”

“You're welcome, my angel.”

Steve held her tight against his body, and suddenly, he sensed that Diana was... waiting for something. Every fiber of his body longed to make the next step, but with a sickening pang, he thought, _Steve, this is stupid. Diana is a goddess, she can have everyone she wants. She literally slayed a god, and you are just... Steve Trevor._

But then, Steve turned Diana around, stroked her cheek, stared into her lovely blue eyes and kissed her. She eagerly responded, wrapping her arms so tightly around his waist that he nearly choked. Her taste was like ambrosia, and for a sweet eternity, their tongues devoured each other. Steve reluctantly broke the kiss and breathed, “Diana, I want you.”

“Then catch me.” she grinned, whipped her clothes off, flashed her celestial body and jumped into the waves. Mad with lust, Steve ripped off his clothes and ran after her, and with a loud laugh, Diana sprinted into the water and willingly let him tackle her. His hands greedily squeezed her breasts, her thighs and her buttocks, and she loved every second of it. Splashing and sputtering, both lovers feverishly groped each other, until Diana pulled him back onto the sand, laid down and smiled.

“There are no _words_ to express my gratitude, but I am a woman of deeds anyway.”

Steve almost fainted when she put her knees to her temples, willingly spread her thighs and offered him her wet, willing crotch. He stared in such disbelief that she giggled, “Come on, I won't bite.”

Steve planted his hands in the sand under her armpits and entered her with a mighty thrust. Both lovers moaned in mutual fulfillment, and Diana inhaled sharply as he totally filled her out. When he began to ride her and licked her hard pink nipples, she eagerly responded, encouraging him with lustful moans. Steve hungrily kissed her, and when his face was so close to hers, she suddenly zoned out. Diana relived the moments when Steve tried to talk to her, moments after she was deafened by Ares's attack – and as if a veil had been lifted off her, she understood.

_“What are you saying, Steve?”_

_“Diana, I have to go. I have to stop the plane.”_

_“Steve, I can do it! Let me do it!”_

_“No, Diana, it has to be me! I can save today. You can save the world.”_

_Tears were streaming down his face, and he finally whispered, “I wish I had more time. I love you.”_

“I love you, too, Steve!” Diana cried out, bursting out in tears. Steve froze in shock, fearing he had hurt her.

“Is everything alright?”

Diana laughed from the bottom of her heart, wiped her tears away and smiled. “Yes, everything is alright.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him so passionately, as if she never wanted him to leave again. With renewed courage, Steve poured all his efforts into their lovemaking. But like the first time, he hardly kept up, as Diana ravaged him like a force of nature. Even though he tried his best, he was not in rhythm, and with a sickening pang, he felt himself cramping up. Diana tried to react, but far too soon, he cried out and discharged.

_Oh my god, I was so terrible,_ Steve beat himself up, hardly daring to look into her eyes. But instead, tears welled up in Diana's eyes, and she blurted out, “I felt nothing... and it's my fault. Menalippe told me that there are women who cannot feel pleasure.”

These words hit Steve worse than any insult, and he cried out,: “No, Diana, it's my fault. I was too weak.”

“No, my crotch is too frigid.”

“No, my cock is too weak.”

Both lovers glared at each other, but then, they laughed in spite of themselves. Diana kissed him and purred reassuringly. “Steve, I love you just the way you are.”

Steve kissed her and was just happy to cuddle her.

 

xxx

 

One week later, Steve smiled. “Congratulations, Etta, for your promotion. Director Waller made a wise move. I'll miss Private Candy, but I already love Corporal Candy!”

“Woo, woo! Thank you so much, Steve! None of this would have been possible without you,” she beamed, flinging her arms so violently around him that he nearly suffocated. “Also congratulations to you, Steve. You are the new spymaster of ARGUS, because Dr. David Graves mysteriously went AWOL. I hope you will fare better than him.”

“I will certainly try,” Steve muttered, gasping for air, while Etta beamed.

“'Corporal Candy,' I like that! Finally, I'll have an office of my own, and I can have a secretary myself.”

“You deserve it, Etta. However, now that means I have to find a new secretary. You have been nothing short of fantastic, I'll really miss you.”

“I will miss you too, Steve... but I'll enjoy talking to you as a peer, no longer as your walking palm pilot. Also, it is tradition for a parting secretary to suggest her successor, and I think I got somebody good.”

“Please don't tell me you are suggesting Harleen Kinzel. That poor girl doesn't have all her marbles.”

“No! But you'll like my choice. In fact, she is standing right behind the door, can I call her in?”

Steve nodded politely. For a moment, he fantasized about a blond bombshell, but then, he saw a shy, nervous brunette with huge horn rimmed spectacles and her hair tied into a severe bun. She wore frumpy gray office suit with square shoulders, a plain white blouse and black Mary Janes.

_No blond bombshell,_ he sighed ruefully. Steve was happy to have a nice boring secretary that could take his mind off Diana, who still reduced him to a pile of drool. He stood up, shook her hand and greeted her. “Greetings, Ma'am! My name is Colonel Steve Trevor, what is your name?”

Etta and the new secretary stared at each other. Steve glared at them, and was shocked when both women broke into huge gales of laughter. He loudly cleared his throat and demanded: “What is so funny about this?”

To his exasperation, both women ignored him. Finally, the new secretary took mercy on him and wheezed, “Are you blind, Steve? My name is Diana Prince.”

Steve's jaw dropped to the floor. Diana had made herself so hideously mousy that he would have never recognized her. Diana of Themyscira was more similar to Black Canary than to Diana Prince, and Canary was blond.

While both women were still laughing at him, he summoned the last shreds of his dignity and muttered, “Diana, didn't you think that all secretaries were slaves?”

Diana became serious and answered. “After watching Etta, I realized how useful secretaries are. They make sure that everything runs smoothly, make friends, and most importantly, save lives. If I can be half as good as Etta, I will be very happy.”

“Me too! Do you know how good Etta was?”

“I do, and I will do everything to live up to her. Also, the more I know about the world of man, the more I know that I know nothing. As the secretary of the ARGUS spymaster, Diana of Themyscira could fight crime much better, and Diana Prince can could learn so many things about the world of man.”

Steve stared at Etta and Diana, and finally, he offered her his hand and smiled. “Welcome aboard, Ms. Prince, your computer is over there.”

“Oh, thank you! I will do everything to make you comfortable.” Diana beamed, shaking his hand with so much enthusiasm that she nearly flung him out of the window. Clutching his swollen fingers, Steve watched as she sat down, glanced at her sideways and thought, _Holy crap, I will never be able to focus on my job again._

“I think I have to go now, Corporal Candy has her first mission. There is a group of Zambesian refugees that are seeking asylum in the U.S., and among them is Mari Makabe, the orphan of Sergeant Makabe. I'll try to help them.”

“I hope you'll succeed, Etta. You know how the political climate is right now,” Steve muttered, and she sighed: “The poor thing only has her clothes and her grandmother's necklace on her. I just want to help.”

Steve was about to sit down when suddenly, the Boston police radio crackled. “EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY! A FEMALE SUPERVILLAIN WITH SILVER SWAN WINGS HAS JUST ROBBED THE BOSTON BANK ON THE CORNER OF 6TH STREET AND 34TH AVENUE! WE REQUEST IMMEDIATE HELP!”

Diana jumped up, but then glanced over to Steve. He smiled. “Angel, the computer can wait. Do your thing.”

With a huge smile, she stood up, whirled around in blinding speed and disappeared in a flash of light. When Etta and Steve were able to see again, the shy, meek Diana Prince had transformed into the powerful Diana of Themyscira. She grabbed her lasso, kissed Steve on the cheek and looked at his army watch above her bracelet. “I'll be back at 2 PM sharp, my love.”

“That means in 57 minutes, 23 seconds. I'll make some Moussaka for you.” he grinned, as she climbed out of the window and jumped from roof to roof with super speed. The Bostonians pointed at her and cheered.

“Look up there, it's that new superhero!”

In less than a minute, Diana had reached the site of the crime. Police captain Ed Indelicato had secured the site, surrounding the bank with a dozen of police cars. Suddenly, the front doors burst open, and the Silver Swan let out her supersonic chant, deafening the policeman and shattering every car window.

“So long, suckers!” she gloated, flying away with her back loaded with sacks full of cash. Then, a glowing lasso snared her ankle and pulled her down with terrible force.

“That's what you think.” Diana snapped, yanking her down with such force that Silver Swan plummeted to the ground.

She stared at her in horror and cried, “Who are you? Who dares to fight the Silver Swan?”

With a huge grin, Diana knocked her out with one punch and retorted. “Call me Wonder Woman.”

 

 

**EPILOGUE**

Steve was reading a book at his apartment, when a gust of wind breezed through the living room, and Wonder Woman jumped in through the window. He jumped up in shock and quickly hid it under the sofa, and greeted her. “Hello, Diana, did you have a nice day?”

“I am the worst secretary ever. Instead of filing your reports, I have to fight that 'Angle Man' who robbed that jewelry store. You try hitting someone who defies the laws of perspective.”

“Your fight must have been rough,” Steve said , glancing at her cuts and bruises, but she grinned.

“Well, you should have seen the other guy.”

Suddenly, she glared at the book under his cushion and snapped, “What were you reading, Steve? Are you hiding those vile _porn_ magazines from me?”

Steve blushed so hard that he almost had a nosebleed, but when she threatened to hit him into orbit, he shamefully pulled it out and muttered, “It is volume I of _The 12 Books of Cleo._ I was reading, uh, new techniques, because I simply don't believe that you are frigid.”

Now, it was Diana's turn to blush, and then she giggled. “Oh, that is so sweet. I'll take a shower now, I don't want to torture you with my sweat and grime.”

With a sigh of relief, he watched as she disappeared in the bathroom, and threw armor, and boots into the corner. Steve wanted to continue reading as she snared his wrist with her lasso, pulled him inside the lavatory and grinned. “Now show me what you learned.”

Steve stared at her, then eagerly pulled his clothes off, joined her under the shower and turned on the faucet. Steve lovingly kissed her and soaped up her body, rinsing her cuts and bruises and massaging her sore muscles. Instead focusing on her obvious assets, he admired her lovely blue eyes, her crimson lips and the soft skin of her neck.

_Why is he looking at me like this?_ Diana asked herself. Steve gazed at her as if he saw her for the first time, and she liked it. He feared to bore her, but to his surprise, she was very receptive.

Steve wrapped her arms around her waist and carefully rinsed her soapy body, and Diana grinned when he made sure he didn't leave out a spot. She purred when she felt his lips on her cheek, her neck and her shoulders, and felt cuddled and loved. He had never been so slow, and he had never succeeded in arousing her faster. Steve pulled her out of the shower, rubbed her dry, and with a sudden swoop, he carried her to the bed.

“Don't you think I can walk there myself?” she grinned, feigning anger.

“You leveled Ares, angel, you still need rest,” he said solemnly. Steve lay her on the bed, wrapped his strong, muscular arms around her neck, and kissed her. Diana eagerly responded, enjoying how he hugged and cuddled her, convinced that she would never feel safer than in his arms.

By now, Steve was very aroused. Diana gently pushed him on his back, parted his knees and stroked his massive shaft. She giggled when he moaned in frustration, and he croaked, “D-Diana... please...”

“What I do is not up to you,” she purred evilly , teasing him to the limits of his endurance. Finally, she parted her thunder thighs, and impaled her wet, throbbing crotch on his rock hard erection.

Both moaned together, enjoying the sweet feeling of mutual fulfillment. Diana inhaled sharply, drawing circles and eights with her hips, and hammering down on him. Steve choked with how much power she thrusted, and how her quivering crotch nearly crushed his shaft. Trying not to panic, he thought, _Diana is so much stronger, faster and better than me, I cannot tame her anyway. I'll make her comfortable, enjoy myself and see what happens._

Instead of cramping up, Steve deliberately took in the magic of the moment. In between her ferocious thrusts, he smiled at his powerful lover, who was devoting all her attention to him, kissed her and admired her burning passion. It was like riding a giant roller coaster, but instead of being scared, he began enjoying his ride.

_This is the goddess who slayed Ares. She could crush me with one punch, but instead, she does everything to please me,_ he thought, and suddenly, he became light. As he uncramped, Diana felt him... shift inside of her, and instead of being scared and intimidated, he suddenly felt her rhythm. Like a surfer, who rides the big waves instead of getting washed out, he reacted to her thrusts.

“APHRODITE!” Diana gasped, arching her back in pleasure. As if Steve had hit a chord, their lovemaking suddenly converged. Before, her powerful drumming drowned his low fiddle, but now, they were two instruments in sync.

“Whatever you're doing, don't stop!” Diana moaned. Her pounding increased tenfold, and instead of panicking, he responded to her. Steve felt like a violin played by a true master, and as he approached ultimate fulfillment, Steve marveled. _I am making love to a goddess, and she is enjoying every second of it._

With holy, divine passion, the daughter of Zeus cramped up in ecstasy. Diana arched her back, raised her arms and was consumed by an unimaginable joy that incinerated everything in her radius. After one last thrust, she screamed out her climax, and at the same time, Steve emptied himself into her quivering femininity. Diana's thighs were shaking with aftershocks, milking the last drop of his shaft, and clutching him like as if she never wanted to let go of him again. Finally, she slumped over Steve's body, kissed him and enjoyed the afterglow of their lovemaking. For a sweet eternity, they remained silent, not daring to destroy the magic of the moment, but finally, she giggled. “Whatever you read, it worked!”

“Good old Cleo! I actually only read the first sentence, 'think of her, not of yourself'. God, I had to fight so hard to remind myself, you drive me crazy.”

“I am a goddess, Steve. You have to fight twice as hard... no, five times as hard... make it ten times as hard to make me happy.” she grinned.

“Diana, you will always be my angel,” Steve stammered.

_You believe in love, Steve, and you made me believe, too. Ares thought that mankind is irredeemable, but he was wrong. Love will truly save the world._

“Yes, Steve, I will always be your angel.”


End file.
